A Very Philly Occasion!
by LycoX
Summary: Riley and the gang head to Philadelphia for Christmas!
1. Chapter 1

**A Very**

 **Philly Occasion!**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Disclaimer: And here we are boys and girls! The sequel to Wild Times In Texas! This takes place in the week leading up to Christmas and ignores the events of Girl Meets Texas part 3. And you know what? I was originally going to have this as just a short sequel and then do a full on story that spans high school and college. But… I'm heavily re-considering that plan and just doing the full on story with this. Oh yeah, I also own nothing but what you see here. With that out of the way, let's get this show started! Whoo!**

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 **Friday, December 18** **th** **, 2015 8:45 PM** **in Philadelphia**

Life had proven to be quite the interesting experience for the High Five in the weeks since coming back from Texas, in which Lucas Friar had rode Tombstone the Bull for four seconds, saw Zay finally get a chance with Vanessa, learned Maya liked him, had one of the most bizarre experiences alongside Farkle and Zay after trying to catch Cain The Bull, told the girls off for not giving him much of a say, had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, and saw his Pappy Joe tear up after Maya had given him a painting she made of him. Lucas and Maya would get a bit closer to one another in the days leading up to Christmas break despite Maya trying to not let it happen since she was well aware of Riley's real feelings towards the Huckleberry. Though she and her best friend were a bit more considerate of Lucas and anything he had to say after his telling them off. But about a week after their return from Texas, Charlie Gardner had waltzed back into their lives after Zay 'Blabbermouth' Babineaux had said something to him about Riley.

Though he wasn't around all that much after Riley telling him that things just weren't in a good way for her to be really agreeing to want to go on a date with him. Luckily he was understanding enough of the situation and gave her some space but did hang around with her from time to time. Something Riley would only admit to herself that she liked the amount of attention he put on her and Zay was of the opinion that both Farkle and Lucas wasn't really liking Charlie hanging around the bubbly brunette all that much. Though he had yet to say anything of that view point since he figured that would just cause issues and had no desire to get freaked out by a 'moo' from either of the girls. There was also a rumor claiming Charlie was trying to start trouble with Lucas and Farkle over Riley but so far those involved had denied it.

Lucas and Farkle's injuries had gotten a few curious looks and Zay had been all too willing to tell the tale of what had happened and getting himself a few glares in the process from the other two boys. Yogi had made the remark that Zay must have had some freaky luck to get out of that whole mess with out getting injured. Zay's remark about Soul Power being the reason behind it had earned him a few groans and eyerolls. Isadora Smackle had also given Farkle and Lucas an earful over the whole Cain incident as well and much to the young Friar's exasperation had insinuated it had been a plan of his to remove her boyfriend from the equation so that he would be in a prime position to be her new boyfriend.

Something he vehemently denied and wound up in a fake court session over the whole thing with Maya as the judge and Riley as his lawyer. Unfortunately for the Huckleberry, the jury was an all girl one that was heavily sympathetic to Isadora and Zay was absolutely no help as he couldn't help but find the whole situation to be funny as Hell. Back Seat Brenda would somehow wind up being Farkle and Smackle's lawyer in the whole thing as well.

The whole thing had been done in the school gymnasium with a few props set up to help give it a courtroom feel and Lucas had wondered if Mrs. Matthews had somehow been involved in the whole thing too. But she'd deny any involvement and his own mother found the whole thing to be funny as well. Mr. Matthews had tried to help him until Mr. Turner and Harper intervened and said it was a learning experience for Lucas to have. In the end, Lucas lost the case and had to pretty much do whatever Smackle wanted for three days. Thankfully that was the extent of it as he wasn't sure he'd been able to handle anything else. As it is, things were still somewhat awkward for Lucas and the two girls and the last thing he even wanted to do was cause the two to have issues with one another over him.

Farkle had filled him in on what had happened last year and something like that happening again scared the young Friar a lot. Especially if it was a whole lot worse then the first time. And currently, Lucas and his momma were on their way to Riley's grandparents in Philidelphia after having been invited earlier in the week by Riley's family. It was only him and his momma due to the fact his dad couldn't get out of work and Pappy Joe was unable to make it due to the weather making travel by train to be a little worrisome. The Babineauxs had opted to stay in New York for Christmas and Farkle and his parents were also coming to Philly as well since Mr. and Mrs. Minkus' families were also in the area. The young Huckleberry had to admit however that since getting back from Texas, things with his dad had actually improved a bit.

Which was pretty nice but there was always room for improvement in that area but he knew it would only come in time as it couldn't be rushed. Maya, her momma, and Gammy were also coming too but Lucas wasn't sure if Mr. Hunter was going to be there for the occasion due to his job and all a certain Shortstack of Pancakes would say is that he'd just need to wait and see. Something that made him roll his eyes since she was proving to be a little difficult about giving a simple answer but knew it was just her playing their little game despite the way things were currently. And while he was excited about being in Philadelphia for Christmas and getting to meet Riley's grandparents and this legendary Mr. Feeny person, he was also a bit apprehensive about it as he knew Josh 'Uncle Boing' Matthews was going to be there too.

Maya's not so secret crush on the guy would no doubt make an appearance and who knows what the guy might think now in regards to him and Maya. The whole thing just bothered him more than he cared to admit but so far had yet to say anything on it. Heck, he knew Josh was a nice fella so at least Maya would be okay with him if anything happened between the two. An idea he still hated regardless. "Hmm.. I haven't been to this house in years." Remarked his momma and breaking him out of his thoughts.

Which helped him to remember the fact that his momma's family was also in Philadelphia and no doubt he would be around them at some point too during the stay here for Christmas. Lucas wasn't exactly looking forward to that due to the whole pinching of the cheeks and the ladies of the house trying to pass on crazy ideas of love and the like to him. They pulled up next to the sidewalk of a two story house that looked pretty homely and Lucas had the feeling Mr. Matthews had a lot of great memories of this place growing up. "Looks nice momma, even with all the snow all over it."

"The Matthews are a very warm bunch of folks who are always willing to welcome people into their home. Its how Cory turned out to be such a wonderful person due to that and Mr. Feeny living next door to him helped with that too."

Lucas couldn't really imagine how that could have worked out like it had with a teacher living next to a student. Though he doubted this Mr. Feeny had taken hold of any boots with no intention of returning them. Of course had he known it was Riley who was keeping them instead of her dad he would have done gotten them back by now. Once the car was turned off, they got out just as Riley, her parents, Auggie, and the Harts were getting out of their vehicles as well. And many of them were thanking their lucky stars it wasn't seriously cold at that moment. "Hey, it looks like Eric's already here." Commented Mr. Matthews as they made their way to the front door.

"And probably doing something that's bound to get on Mr. Feeny's nerves too if he hasn't already." Joked Mrs. Matthews with a smile.

"I would have thought he'd still be in New York taking of senatorial business." Remarked Katy as the front door opened and Joshua Matthews stood in the door way with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

Though more than one person thought he was looking somewhat pale too for some reason. Something that had both Cory and Topanga worried considering Josh's preemie status as a baby. "Well Uncle Eric made it clear that family at this time of the year was especially important to be with instead of working." Supplied Riley as she watched in amusement as Maya rushed to her uncle and hugged him.

"You just keep getting even more gorgeous every time I see you Maya." Commented the young man and actually causing the blonde to blush, much to Lucas' shock.

"Aww, you know just the right thing to say to get to a girl's heart Uncle Boing." She told him with a flirty little smile as they all started to come inside.

A certain Huckleberry felt a spike of jealousy hit him and he did what he could to squash it. "Better than the wrong thing am I right?"

"Oh definitely, as that would be a total buzzkill."

Cory cleared his throat to get their attention. "If you two could pause the whole flirting thing for a minute or forever that would be greatly appreciated!" As Maya was like a daughter to him for cryin' out loud!

Both Maya and Josh rolled their eyes at the man and then the youngest Matthews child of Alan and Amy suddenly sneezed. "Gesundheit."

"Thanks!" Replied Uncle Boing to Riley with a slight groan as he hated sneezing.

"Hey ma! Cory and friends are here!"

Looking back at his brother, the two got big smiles on their faces a few seconds later. "My brotha!"

Josh repeated his older brother's words before the two hugged, making for many of the gathered crowd to smile at the sight. Amy soon made her appearance and started hugging the group starting with Cory. "Oh I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

"I just want to say thank you for inviting us." Katy said appreciatively.

"Of course! You're practically family after all."

Both Katy and Maya appreciated that a lot and Gammy felt thankful to the woman for being so welcoming. Amy then got a hug from Maya that she quickly returned quite happily. "Look at you sweetheart, I just bet you and Riley have all the boys back in New York wanting to take you out on dates."

"Hey, I can't blame em for that." Added Josh with a smile directed to Maya and making her blush once again for a certain Friar to feel a surge of jealousy again while Riley smiled at the compliments.

"If they are, they sure aren't sayin' much."

A glare towards Lucas made him wonder why she was giving him that as its not like it was his fault! "Hey don't glare at me! Its not my fault none of the boys at school are askin' you or Riley out aside from Farkle and Charlie."

"And I am very, very thankful for that let me you." Added in Cory and getting a swat on the chest from his wife over it.

"Those guys don't know what they are missin' then." Josh said with a smile.

"Thank you Uncle Josh." Rold told him appreciatively.

"Any-achoo! Time."

A few looks were exchanged over that and it was something Josh didn't exactly care for. "Hey! Quit with the looks alright? Its just a few sneezes, nothin' to worry about."

"Good, cause you and I have a whole lot of fun to do." Auggie told him in a no nonsense tone of voice.

Josh smiled at him and got down on his knees and high fived Auggie. "Of course little buddy!" Maya smiled at the sight as ahe loved seeing the two interact and Katy couldn't help but notice the smile herself.

 _I think my son has some competition for little Maya's heart. I just hope he doesn't do somethin' rash over it._ Thought Lucas' mother somewhat worriedly.

"Hey, so where's grandpa?" Asked Riley since she hadn't seen him just yet.

"Oh he's out back keeping George from killing Eric." Amy told her with a roll of her eyes and a fond smile on her face.

To be honest, she and her husband were still highly shocked that their oldest son was now the senator of New York. George nearly ran off to Canada until his wife had been able to talk him out of it despite his wild theories that it was just one step away from the younger man ruling the entire country. But never the less, the three were highly proud of Eric for coming as far as he had. And as if on cue, Eric himself walked into the living room tangled in Christmas lights and looking like he'd been electrocuted and thrown into some trash! Jack and TJ were following along behind him to make sure he'd be okay but Jack couldn't help the huge smile on his face.

"Just like old times."

"Oh yes, very much so." Muttered the frazzled Senator as they went towards the stairs while everyone else watched on in shock and amusement.

"Its comforting to know Eric is still that eccentric." Commented Wendy with a smile as tales of him were of quite a legendary status.

No one was quite sure what else the week up to Christmas would bring them, but if Eric was a small taste of it, they couldn't wait for more. Cory and Lucas would head outside to see if they could help any after insisting Josh stayed inside so as to not potentially make his sneezing become more of an issue. Maya promising to make sure he was taken care of bothered Lucas but he kept quiet even if the smile Riley's uncle had towards the girl was something he wanted to wipe off from his face. Young Lucas Friar just hoped he'd be able to get through all this without causing a big ol' scene. While the two fellas did that, the ladies would get things ready for a late dinner.

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 **Author's Notes: May you all have enjoyed this beginning! If you would like for me to turn this into a full on story that goes into their high school years or if you would prefer it to be just a short story centered on the holiday, let me know. R and R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer: Well I have to say that the reception to the first chapter was pretty great! Many thanks for that! Now let's roll on!**

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 **Saturday, December 19th, 2015 9:46 AM in the Matthews Kitchen**

After a well made dinner that allowed for Lucas to actually meet the legendary George Feeny and wish he had been taught by the man. Seeing his interactions with everybody in the house had truly been a sight to behold and he had practically welcomed him and his momma with open arms. It was like Mr. Feeny was a great grandfather to everybody in that room and it was just amazing to witness. It was clear to see the older man's influence on Mr. Matthews and his way of teaching and actually caring as much as he did for his students. But soon, it was time for Lucas and his momma to head over to her family's place and the Huckleberry was somewhat relieved by that since it would mean he didn't have to watch a certain Blonde Beauty act so nutty around Riley's uncle Josh. Though he definitely didn't miss the worried looks Riley's parents and grandparents exchanged anytime the boy sneezed and it made him wonder why they seemed so worried about it.

Once Wendy and Lucas had left for her family's house, the girls plus Amy and George's wife Lila decided to have a sleep over in Morgan's old bedroom while leaving all the boys downstairs in the living room to their own devices. Josh had soon gone up to his room as he'd been feeling pretty tired much to a sleepy Auggie's disappointment. But a promise to have some fun with him very soon made for a not as disappointed Auggie nicely enough. Alan had thought it weird since his youngest liked to stay up as late as he could when given the chance too, though with the sneezing he had done quite a few times it had left him thinking that may have something to do with it.

For George Feeny, life long neighbor, friend, and teacher of the Matthews children aside from Morgan, Joshua, Auggie, and Riley, the chance he had to spend with the Matthews men, along with TJ and Jack had been a very enjoyable time for him. Though he had wished Shawn was there to take part in it and hoped to see the young man during Christmas as he had a gift in mind for his former students that he wanted to give them. He could honestly say that young Maya Hart reminded him of Shawn as well and it had greatly intrigued him to know that the young girl saw the man as an important figure in her life. Something he had asked young Cory about during the night and learned more then he expected but was pleased to learn that his former student pretty much saw the young Hart as another daughter to him.

The fact young Shawn may likely be viewing her in the same light the more he spent time with her was another pleasant fact to learn of. And it made him wonder what life may have been like had Mr. Hunter actually been her true father instead of the man who left two precious jewels behind. Mr. Feeny truly hoped the best for Mr. Hunter and the Hart ladies as happiness, hope, and love were great things to have. To also learn that the young Hart was something of a talented artist and the clear pride in young Cory's voice also captured his interest and couldn't wait to see about the potential chance of seeing some of that talent for himself as a picture of it was one thing but actually seeing it in person was another.

Seeing Ms. Jansen, or Mrs. Friar as she was known now had been another unexpected treat for the older man. As while he hadn't had a great deal of interaction with the girl during her high school years, he had been aware of how bright the girl truly was. George was also aware of the fact she played a key role in young Cory's life on the path to learning and meeting the world. Meeting her son had also been a privilege and it honestly made him wish he wasn't semi-retired as he would love the chance to help mold that young man's minds. Along with the young minds of the rest of the next generation. But he could see however that the young Lucas Friar was a bit jealous of Joshua Matthews' interactions with Ms. Hart's daughter and hoped that wouldn't lead to problems.

The fact young Cory had gone into the teaching profession had been a true surprise but also made the older man quite proud of him. And to hear once again that he was being a positive influence on young minds was a great thing to see as well. In the morning, he and Lila had gone back to their home for some further rest before starting their day. And it wasn't long before Amy Matthews was up and cooking a big breakfast for those in the house while the coffee was made. It honestly had been some time since her home felt so alive and she loved that feeling. While her youngest had his own group of friends, they all liked to hang out in other areas a lot of the time and often leaving for a fairly quiet house in the process. Something both she and Alan loved and hated at the same time. A part of her however was worried about the sneezing Josh had been doing recently and hoped like crazy it wouldn't lead to something potentially a bit more unpleasant.

His preemie status had often made it hard for him to recover from illnesses but his immune system was gradually gaining in strength so that was a positive at least. And she hoped that would be enough to make her son's apparent cold be nothing more then a simple thing to quickly get past. The sleepover last night was perhaps the most fun she'd had in quite some time as well and she really enjoyed getting to know Katy and Maya more and looked forward to their being part of the family for years to come. Amy could also happily admit to herself that she was glad to see Tommy back in Eric's life again as it had truly been a crushing time for her oldest when he had made the decision to not adopt him.

It'd taken him a long time to recover from that even with the last goodbye he and Tommy had shared. She had often wondered what life might have been like if Eric had gone through with the adoption. But at least now life had been able to bring the two together again and it had certainly been a treat to see Tommy and Josh interact so well together. Josh had even at one point happily called the man his long lost but honorary uncle and those who had seen it could tell how happy that had made Tommy. The activist had then made a remark about how he had years of presents and the like to make up for and if anyone happened to see a watery sheen in Eric's eyes? It wasn't commented on at all.

It had also been nice to see Wendy again as well and my had she become quite the stunning woman and a great mother to boot as well. In another far flung life, Wendy likely could have been her daughter in law and Lucas her grandson. Of course if he had strong feelings for Riley then he likely would be a grandson of sorts anyway but she could see that he clearly had his heart set on little Maya and definitely didn't like the way she interacted with Josh. Though how aware he was of just how deep exactly his feelings went was another thing entirely. Especially at that particular age. Either way, like the Hart ladies, she happily welcomed the Friars into the Matthews clan.

A part of her couldn't help but wonder who else might show up for Christmas and hoped that Shawn would definitely be in attendance since he was practically another son to her. Seeing him last year had been truly wonderful and it was like he hadn't been absent for so long. The fact Riley had caused a positive change to happen for Shawn and Cory had been another great thing to see since she was aware of how Shawn felt like he didn't have much of a place in his best friend's life anymore after Cory started up his own little family. Which to her had been too ridiculous of a notion as Shawn would ALWAYS have a place in her son's life no matter what.

She was broken from her thoughts when footsteps were heard coming down the steps, revealing it to be none other then her son Josh. And for Amy, he really looked like he'd have been better off staying in bed. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked him concernedly as he shuffled over to the table, pulled out a chair, and plopped down with a grunt.

"Yeah ma, I'm fine. No worries." His stomach grumbled then and Amy went back to cooking while hoping he was truly okay.

As his getting sick usually always meant for some real unpleasantness due to the fact his immune system wasn't the strongest as it was still slowly building in strength. "Mmm… Something smells good in here." Came the voice of Maya Penelope Hart as she made her way into the kitchen while looking only maybe half way awake.

"Ma's a great cook." Josh told her while he had his head down on the table and his arms covering the back of his head.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with seconds." Teased his mother and making Maya smile at the whole thing.

The bedroom door having been left open had allowed for Maya to smell the delicious food being cooked and she couldn't help make her way to the kitchen. And frankly, after coming down she was quite glad for it since Uncle Boing was in there too. Even if he was keeping his head down for whatever reason. Though she hoped it was just cause he was tired and it not having something to do with the sneezing he did a few times last night. As getting sick when Christmas was right around the corner would just suck! Taking a seat at the table, she asked him if he was okay and he gave her pretty much the same response he'd given to his mother.

"Surprised though that you're even awake this early. Figured you'd still be sleepin' in."

Maya shrugged despite the fact he couldn't see it. "Was a need for the bathroom and the smells of what your mom's cooking pretty much sealed the deal for me."

She only got a grunt from him in response and then was pretty much occupied by a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. Along with a glass of orange juice. Maya quickly dug in as Amy put a plate down for Josh along with his own glass of orange juice. Raising his head up, he looked at the food for several seconds before finally grabbing his fork and trying some of the eggs. "Are you sure you're feeling okay sweetheart?"

"Yeah ma, but if its okay with you I'm gonna go lay back down for awhile."

"Of course, I'll make sure no one bothers you."

Her son gave her a grateful nod while Maya looked on in concern over the whole thing. "Get plenty of rest Uncle Boing! Cause I'm gonna need you at your A game as otherwise it'd be too easy to win at the Long Game." She told him with a smirk and causing him to look back at her with a small short lived smile of his own before walking on.

A part of her had been hoping for more than that however but considering how he was looking and obviously feeling, well, she'd just have to give him a pass at least once. Both Maya and Amy hoped that whatever was bothering him would soon go away quickly.

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 **Author's Notes: Alright, so originally I was going to have this be even longer but I decided to end it where I did and leave what else I was writing for the next chapter. I saw some pics of Girl Meets Money or whatever its called, and when did Maya get a Ferret exactly? I miss or forget something about that?R and R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. And wow, just wow! Blown away by the feedback on this! Though I have no idea what a Yuckaya is.**

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 **2:00 PM, Matthews' Living Room**

After Maya had had breakfast, she'd gone back to bed for a little more sleep until Riley woke up and wouldn't leave her be. Something that got a pillow to the head over and leading to a pillow fight between the two. Afterwards, the two got ready for the day while Maya filled her best friend in on the fact that Amy had promised Josh he wouldn't be bothered while he rested. Riley had been understandably concerned over that but respected the need to leave things be for the time being for once. Auggie had been put out over it but Eric had thankfully managed to distract him enough to take his mind off it. A few snowmen would get built too after Eric, the girls, and Auggie decided to go outside for a little fun.

Eric even had a different kind of fun when they went over to the side of the house and got to witness the questionably crazy man do the legendary Feeny Call. Of course it hadn't been either Lila or George who'd come out but his niece Jessica instead. Who had only gotten even more beautiful over the years in Eric's eyes and had pretty much gone mushy over her. She had nicely enough still remembered him and the two flirted some until Lila had called her inside for lunch. But Jessica did promise that their reunion would continue later, making for a very happy Eric Matthews who got some teasing from Maya over it. He got her back good though when he made the remark that at least he doesn't call his crush cutesy little names and got a snowball to the face over it in return.

He'd wound up being chased for a little bit by Riley, Maya, and Auggie until Jack and TJ got in on the fun. Those two for whatever reason had been carrying a net that they quickly used on him, leaving for a very open target for snow balls. Something that would have been prime gossip material were they in New York then. Course its not like it would have been anything scandalous considering the nature of the whole thing. Farkle eventually showed up around one o'clock and got his own opportunity to speak to Mr. Feeny. Who found the young man to be a delightfully smart individual who was truly like his father in a lot of ways. Something Farkle was proud to hear of from the man.

And when Wendy showed up to the Matthews' without Lucas along, Maya had quickly asked where Hop-A-Long was as she was quite shocked he wasn't following her like a little puppy. Something Wendy didn't take offense to as she was well used to Maya's way of things where her son was concerned. "Let's just say I had to leave him at my parents' due to too much sugar." Really, did her mother have to use THAT much sugar!?

"Sugar rush huh? Fun but such a downer in the end." Remarked Eric with a shake of the head.

"Something like that." Replied Wendy somewhat vaguely.

 **Jansen Household**

One Lucas Friar could be seen strapped into a recliner while also wearing a straight jacket. Why the Jansens had that was anyone's guess since it wasn't a well known fact they had it. His grandparents were watching the whole thing with frowns on their faces as Lucas turned his head this way and that way while giggling like a nut and rambling on. "Yesss…. The Sugar is soooo good! So much sweetness, so little time! How can one handle such a thing!? And the cookies! Oh the cookies! Should always be Cookie Time! For happiness abounds! Hee hee hee!"

Marty Jansen looked towards his wife of many, many years with that frown still on his face. "You just had to use too much sugar didn't you!?" He groused at the woman and felt bad for the boy as he was gonna have one heck of a headache!

"Don't sass me Marty!" Snapped the woman and pointed at a corner for him to go too for speaking out of line.

Marty's shoulders sagged in defeat as once again the power the Jansen women had came into play. Lord knows he wished things were more balanced! Maybe he should speak to that son-in-law of his? Could have a few ideas for him and the other Jansen men to try!

"COOKIE TIME!"

 **Back at the Matthews'**

"Well I hope it won't be too much of a downer for him." Piped up Riley with a smile.

Wendy gave her a smile in return. "Thank you Riley, that is very sweet of you."

"I'm sure your parents will take good care of him Wendy." Added Cory who had a pretty odd idea as to how that would go but kept his mouth shut since he still remembered how much power the women in the Jansen family had over the men.

Noises could be heard from Maya's pet ferret named Ginger. "Aww, I'm sorry honey but I guess you'll have to wait for Ranger Rick to show up." She told her baby soothingly while giving it a little rub.

She never could understand why her baby loved the guy so much but seeing the two interact was always really sweet to watch. Those in the living room found the scene to be adorably cute and one would be likely to think of it as a Kodak moment too. Her mom being able to get Ginger for her when she did had always been one of the best things ever for Maya in her opinion. The artist still found it amusing anytime she thought about Riley's words about her cat being possessed into a ferret. Which hadn't really made much sense but that was Riles for ya!

 **7:00 PM, Dinner Time in the Kitchen**

Seven arrived and it was dinner time for those at the house. Cory and Topanga had gone off for a little alone time somewhere and Jack, TJ, and Maya were also gone too. Though Alan had the belief it was to spy on Eric and George's niece while they were on their date. Farkle and Auggie had kept Ginger company and it'd been pretty fun for the two to have the chance to play with him. And it'd certainly been enough to tire the little fella out to the point Katy was able to put him in his carrier to sleep without much protesting. Wendy had eventually gone back to her parents' house for awhile and Katy helped Amy cook tonight's dinner. Which would be steak, peas, and mashed potatoes.

After setting the table that would also include a spot for Farkle since he hadn't left just yet, Amy sent Riley to go and let Josh know it was time for dinner. Who had yet to make an appearance since earlier that morning. Once Riley got to her uncle's bedroom door she knocked on it several times and then waited for him to open it up. "Uncle Josh! Its dinner time!" She called out through the door.

Waiting a beat and still hearing no answer, Riley knocked on his door and was elated when the door knob turned and the door opened somewhat. Though she could barely see her uncle under the covers he had himself wrapped in. "Not… Hungry Riles… Thanks anyways." He told her while sounding hoarse too.

Something that worried the girl a lot. "Uncle Josh, you really don't sound okay."

"No worries… Just a lil… Under The… Weather is all." Her uncle tried to sound upbeat while telling her that but he wasn't quite succeeding.

"Okay… Well you just get plenty of rest and I'll see if Grandma can make something for you that'll help."

"You're… The best." She smiled at his compliment and then went back downstairs after he closed his door.

Seeing that Riley was without Josh, the girl quickly explained why he hadn't come down and definitely didn't miss the worried looks exchanged between her grandparents. "You can make some chicken soup for him right? That's bound to help him out a lot right?"

"Of course sweetheart, why don't you and I get started on that right away?"

Riley nodded happily at that and she and her grandmother got to it then and there while everyone else ate while feeling some worry for Josh and hoping whatever was bothering him wouldn't be around for long. Once the two Matthews women got it ready to go, Riley would be the one to take it up to her uncle and he'd take it from her at the door with a smile and a thank you. And while she'd been up there, Lucas and his momma showed up and the poor kid had one heck of a headache too!

Something Maya would happily annoy him about once she, Jack, and TJ came back to the house after getting caught by Eric and Jessica. Riley had gotten poor Lucas an ice pack and some Tylenol since she didn't want him to be stuck with an awful headache. But Wendy had interfered and only let the ice pack be used by saying that her son needed to learn from his actions. Needless to say, the bubbly ball of Sunshine known as Riley Matthews wasn't too happy but listened to Wendy regardless. Ginger however got to give a little affection to Lucas and for the young Friar, that made the whole thing worth it.

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 **Author's Notes: I thought it'd be nice to bring back Jessica Feeny since we only ever really saw her once as far as I can remember. Once I thought to include her, I started to think of what all I could do with the character to have her around in some capacity instead of going back into Limbo Land. And to be honest, I had completely forgotten about Maya's pet Ferret until the recent shots of Girl Meets Money started floating around. Which makes me wonder why the little fella (boy or girl?) hasn't even been seen since the first Halloween episode.**

 **So I decided to bring the little guy into this fic and hopefully its believable too considering I didn't mention him in the previous two chapters. Look forward to your thoughts! Especially where the Cookie Time thing is concerned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Which might be a good thing considering my penchant for taking things to crazy levels at times. I'm also thinking about running Wild Times In Texas and this together in the same fic on A03 and then adding to it on there with what I have in mind later on. If that made any kind of sense. Anyways! Here's a look at Eric and Jessica's date! Also I love the idea of the Mummer's Parade that Philly has, a big thank you to the guest for suggesting that too. Which sadly I most likely won't be using due to what I have planned for this. Thanks again though!**

 **I'm not gonna lie though, its somewhat annoying and not all that helpful when you get a review and all it says is 'update.' I appreciate the fact you want to see more but at least put a little more thought into your review.**

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Never in a million years did Senator Eric Matthews think he'd find himself with another opportunity to be around Jessica Feeny again. Whether Mr. Feeny had been behind that or not was the question but he wasn't about to ask the man that as it'd be rude to do. But lo and behold here he was on a freakin' date with the man's niece and if anything, time had done well by her! Jessica still looked to be as beautiful as the day he meet her when they were still teenagers. Though he couldn't help but notice the slight stiffness and guardedness from her and it made him think of Mr. Feeny's words to him before they left about being good to her. At the time Eric had thought he was referring to how he used to be around girls but now he wasn't so sure about that anymore. Course he had definitely improved in that area as it is when it came to women. Not because of his time as the mayor St. Upid Town or his now being a senator, but because of the years of experience and growing up he'd dealt with.

But despite the stiffness and guardedness, she did seem to be having a good time with him and that was what was important. The first stop on their date had been to the Longwood Gardens to take in the sights there with all its amazing Christmas displays and the wonder and happiness on her face had been truly amazing to see for Eric. And if he was being honest with himself, he really wouldn't mind ensuring that mixed look was always on her face. After their stroll through the Gardens, he then decided to take her to the Blue Cross RiverRink for some ice skating and she had practically hugged him over that as she told him it'd been a long time since she got to do something like that. Course when she realized how close they were, Jessica pulled away from him much to his own dislike but left it alone for the time being.

While the two were enjoying their date, they were also being spied on by three people. Those being Jack Hunter, Tommy 'TJ' Murphy, and one Maya 'Blonde Beauty' Hart. The two men had been providing commentary the entire time too much to Maya's amusement. "And good God almighty! He's taken her ice skating! The Senator is pulling out all the stops on this date!" Came the voice of Tommy while trying to imitate good ol' Jim Ross' way of commentating.

"What a night this is Tommy and its barely even started!" Added Jack while trying to pull a Jerry 'The King' Lawler impression and making Maya laugh in the process.

"You guys are too much!"

Jack just shrugged. "Hey, when you're around us you're either bound to be amused or exasperated. Or both even." A part of Tommy had wished he had experienced more of that but was none the less grateful for the little he did get to be around for. Heck as it was, Eric had been plenty enough on his own back then!

"Oh yeah, I get what you're saying there completely. Being around Riley and her family has shown me that a lot." Not that she would ever complain as she loved that family to death.

"The Matthews are some really good people."

Maya smiled at that as it was definitely true and Tommy couldn't help but nod in agreement. They had been all too willing to happily welcome him into their lives back when he was a boy just because of Eric and the fact they were still willing enough to do it years later spoke volumes about them. "You know… If things work out with this girl it might help make Eric feel a little less sad."

That made Maya and Jack look at Tommy and wondering what the heck he meant by that. Seeing their looks of confusion, he quickly explained that everytime he got off the phone with Rachel he always seemed a bit sad and would claim it wasn't because he still felt something big for the Redhead. But never would go further on the subject. "Huh, that'll be something to ask her about then." Remarked Jack thoughtfully. Who could only hope that wouldn't be weird since he and Rachel had only been re-connecting recently thanks to Eric's influence.

"Have fun with that." Added Maya with a thumb's up while actually hoping this would work out well for the big lug.

As for the big lug and his date? Well that was still going pretty good nicely enough and Jessica was even impressed by the fact Eric had yet to fall. "Ah you know, self help tapes while I slept. Even if a friend of mine used their power for evil purposes!" He told her with a shudder and making her laugh.

It'd taken a week for him to get over that part of the tapes' programming Jason had poorly recorded over. Which had led to a huge binge fest that led to an empty fridge, an upset stomach from being too full, and a very unhappy mother! "Evil purposes huh? Care to tell a girl?"

"He'd put food my way and I'd freak out like crazy over it. Made it kinda hard to find dates for awhile too back then." The jerk!

Jessica laughed over that and was really starting to feel even more happy over the fact she had answered the 'Feeny Call' earlier that day. Being able to re-connect with Eric was really great and if anything, he was just as funny and cute as he was back then. The fact his being a senator hadn't taken that goofy quality out of him yet was remarkable in her view as well and hoped he wouldn't lose it. As the two skated close together, Jessica debated whether or not to explain why she seemed pretty guarded around him and was glad for the fact he hadn't asked yet or appeared bothered by it. "Sooo..." She started but trailed off due to being unsure as to how to continue.

"Yyyesss?"

She couldn't help but shake her head in amusement over that. "I know I've been kinda guarded around you and I'm sorry for that. I really am."

"Hey, I completely understand and you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want too." Eric told her as they stopped skating.

Jessica could have taken the out he'd just given her but that would have been the easy thing to do. But her uncle had taught her the value of never doing that. "Thank you Eric, that's sweet of you to say but I want to tell you. The thing is… I just got out of a bad marriage and its because of that that I'm a little wary of being around men aside from uncle George and you to an extent."

Eric straightened up and gave her a slight bow. "Well when in need, just call in Eric Matthews, That Good Lookin' Guy." Jessica couldn't help but giggle over that.

"See? That's why I don't feel as wary around you cause of that innate goodness you have about you."

It was Eric's turn to smile at her in happiness in knowing that. "I'm glad you feel that way. Maybe if we're lucky that innate goodness I have will make you completely relaxed around me."

She looked at him and a part of her actually wouldn't mind seeing that possibly happen. "It may take time, but I'm willing to see if that happens. Have to say though, there was at least ONE good thing that came out of my marriage with Jerome." A very good thing indeed.

That mention had Eric's interest for sure while feeling pretty darn happy she was willing to see where things could go. As at least this time distance wouldn't be much of an issue since she was staying with Mr. Feeny for the time being. "Oh? Why do tell milady. We all friends up in here! Well… Maybe not that guy over there." He said with a nod of his head in one person's direction who looked pretty unhappy to be at the rink for whatever reason and Jessica couldn't help but laugh over Eric's antics.

"Patience! One thing at a time okay?" Eric nodded at that as he could understand her wanting to take any big reveals slow.

Holding out a hand for her to grab, he spoke up again. "Then patience dear Jessica is what you shall have!" He told her with a flourish that made him a little wobbly.

Surprising even herself, she took his offered hand and together they went back to enjoying some ice skating while hand in hand. Jessica Feeny honestly couldn't wait to see else the cute goofball had planned next. Which would turn out to be a great dinner followed by a slow walk as the two couldn't help but find themselves wanting to be even closer to the other and not just because they were wanting to be warm. A chuckle erupted from Eric however as the two walked that made her pretty curious. "What's so funny?"

"Oh just our three little tails." That made her confused and slightly worried.

Seeing the look of worry on her face, Eric quickly told her just who was following them and she started to relax afterwards. A part of Eric was not liking that she had even seemed a bit panicked as it was giving him an incomplete image in his mind about the man she used to be with. And man was he not liking that but was thankful she had gotten out of that mess. "So do we keep going as is or let them know we know?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, he considered the options presented to them. On the one hand, not saying anything would mean they would keep following him and his lovely date and preventing privacy between the two. Not that he expected much to happen of course considering the little she had mentioned about her ex. On the other hand, he could out them and make fun of them for having been caught since he had been aware of the three for some time now. As his bodyguard had been taken a few percautions to help Eric be more aware of his surroundings when it was needed. "Ah what the heck."

"Ohh Jack, Tommy, and Machuka! We know you're followin' us!" Eric called out while looking towards a snow covered bush.

Faint arguing could be heard after that until the three rose up as one with sheepish looks on their faces. "You still can't get my name right!" Groused Maya as she and the two men camed up to them.

Eric just shrugged at her as he knew full well what her name really was but the chance to rile her up by calling her other names was just too fun. "What can I say? Its a gift."

Low muttering from the girl about whether or not it really was a gift could be heard and a grin appeared on Eric's face during it. "Hey man, this was so not my idea at all. It was all these two's." Claimed Jack while getting two loud 'Heys!' at the same time from Tommy and Maya.

"Uh-huh." Replied Jessica in a tone that suggested she really didn't quite believe that.

Years of finding out information on people that they didn't want anyone else knowing about had taught Tommy a great deal. And it would certainly come in handy at this point in time. Though he knew Eric probably wasn't even all that bothered by their spying on him and his date since he didn't seem all that mad about it. "Intelligence gathering is a very, very important thing." Spoke up the young man in a serious tone of voice.

"I felt it was important for the future of our youth to learn how to properly do things like that. Because with out that… We're all gonna be dead or brainless robots… And that would totally, and I mean totally suck." He knew he was rambling but he just couldn't help it! Especially with the stare down he was getting from the two! Anybody else wouldn't be as intimidating!

Eric and Jessica looked at one another and it seemed as if there as a silent conversation between the two despite the recent reunion between the two. They then looked back at the two and Tommy felt a retreat was highly needed! "RETREAT!" And with that, the three were gone quickly. Making for two very highly amused adults.

"Now that was fun!" Commented Jessica happily and Eric couldn't agree more!

"I can't wait to bug em about it when I get back to the house later." Prime time teasing for sure!

 _I just might have to come over to watch that happen._ Thought the niece of George Feeny with a smile.

The two continued on with their date and it'd prove to be one of the best nights Jessica had in some time and she couldn't wait for another opportunity to present itself to go on another date with him. And she had a pretty good feeling Eric felt the same way. Especially when she decided to Hell with it and pulled him close to her at the fence between the Matthews and Feeny yards and kissed him. A kiss that deepened into full on making out and would freak out George Feeny considerably when he had the misfortune to see the two in their moment. Little did she know however that she and her family would soon be providing some moral support for Eric and his family when one of their own wound up in the hospital.

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 **Author's Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this look at Eric and Jessica's date! Hopefully with how I handled her character and certain events was pretty believable too. Up next? Things get a little intense when a trip to the hospital is needed. R and R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Now let's roll on! Attempting something a little different with this chapter with its beginning. Hopefully it works!**

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 **Sunday, December 20th, 2015 8:45 PM in the waiting room at the Hospital**

In the waiting room the hospital, the very same hospital that Josh was born in as a matter of fact, sat a large group made up of a mix of family and friends and all were pretty darn worried for one Joshua 'Uncle Boing' Matthews as he was currently being seen too by doctors and nurses after getting rushed there nearly an hour ago. He'd been found by Maya Hart when she heard noises coming from his room and went inside to see if he was okay and what she came across had scared the crap out of her. The only two people not there currently was Lucas 'Quite A Few Nicknames' Friar and Deanna Feeny as the two had gone back to the Matthews' home to retrieve a few items for Maya. Shawn and Morgan were also not there either as they were still not in the area just yet. Now, you might be wondering what exactly led to this point that would see Josh in the hospital.

And that my friends would take us back several hours earlier into the day. When things weren't as tense and a bit more happier and less worrisome. And it pretty much started around one o'clock when a kid named Jesse Abelman showed up at the Matthews' home to see Josh. Amy had been reluctant to let him see her son considering they'd been in the same boat when they were born so long ago but he had managed to convince her it'd be okay. He'd leave about twenty minutes later with a worried look on his face and would only tell Riley and her friends that he was a friend of Josh's from high school since he wasn't aware of how much they knew about Josh's life where the preemie status was concerned and didn't want to let any cats out of the bag.

Luckily they had bought it without too much thought but it did give Amy and Alan a line of thought about whether or not to say anything since Riley did know of her uncle's status but hadn't told anyone else outside of the family. Mostly cause it wasn't something she thought too much on all that much due to him not being around a lot. Cory, Alan, and Stuart would also volunteer to take the kids to see a movie they'd been wanting to see but hadn't had the opportunity to do so yet. That and the kids wanted to see something that was upbeat after hearing a few of Gammy Hart's wild theories about Death not wanting to take her just yet. Before they had left, Lucas had caught a flash of blue hair in one of the windows from the Feeny home and it had left him pretty curious until Maya sat next to him in the theater and pretty much had half his attention while the movie had the other half.

He also couldn't help but find it amusing that she was wearing a blue t-shirt with the words 'Artists gonna art' on the front in black. Causing him to wonder where she managed to find it. After the movie, they got some pizzas and headed back to the house and wound up in a snowball fight after Maya teased Eric over how goofy and mushy he was being after his date from the night before. Jessica being right there next to him couldn't help but find it amusing when watching the blonde annoy Eric and get annoyed in return every time he messed up her name. Which had been one of the things that had led to a snowball free for all fight that would see Lucas get snow stuffed down his jacket by a certain devious Shortstack of Pancakes and her best friend.

The cutesy innocent smiles and the batting eyelashes did nothing to stop him from going after the two girls until Farkle and Auggie stopped him in his tracks. Something that had made him wind up falling face first into a mini snow mountain much to the delight of everybody else. Lucas had promised them all then and there he'd vow revenge and would have another misfortune when his momma of all people would dump a bucket of snow onto his head and then leave the bucket on him! Leaving for an odd case of deja vu for the boy. But at least Riley wasn't flipping out that time so it wasn't all that bad except for being really cold! He'd try to guilt trip his momma about the potential cold he'd get over that since he knew how much she loved him but she wouldn't have any of it unfortunately. A little while afterwards and a few more glances of blue hair in the windows, the four teenagers plus Auggie would decide to build a snowman. Well, more so Lucas, Maya, and Auggie since Riley and Farkle spent half the time helping and the other being busy arguing over a proper name for a snowman of all things.

Maya would give him a mild glare when he suggested the name of Tombstone and he backed away from her over it. Which made him realize how others might see that as ridiculous but hey it didn't really matter to him! Getting her all riled up was always pretty fun in his view. "Don't make me make a certain noise Ranger Rick. Cause you know I will." She warned him and he couldn't help but gulp since a cow's moo still freaked him out to an extent after that mess with Cain the Bull.

"Yes ma'am!" He told her with an imaginary hat tip that made her roll her eyes but was smiling anyway.

A few minutes later saw the Blonde Beauty making a beeline for the inside of the house due to a need for the bathroom and ignoring Lucas' remark about not taking all day in there but vowing to get him back for it. And once taking care of that, Maya looked at herself in the mirror and considered if whether or not fixing up her hair would make a difference since she was about to head back outside and would need her jacket's hood to help stay warm. Her attention would get taken from that however when she started to hear noises from Josh's room. Turning to the second door the bathroom had that connected to his room, she stared at it apprehensively before stepping up to it and putting her ear to the door.

A moan could be heard and Maya frowned and decided to knock on the door as it was better to be safer than sorry. "Hey Uncle Boing? You okay in there or do you have company you don't want anyone knowin' about?" It was meant as a joke but the idea of him having a girl in there wasn't something she liked at all.

There was no response until another moan and what sounded like a thumping noise could be heard. Testing the door knob she found it wasn't locked and slowly opened the door and one of the first thing she was assaulted by was all the warmth that hit her in the face. _Jeez! Its way too warm in here!_

"Josh?" She asked as she couldn't really see him anywhere and found it weird he had his bedroom light on.

"Uhnn..."

That sound alarmed her as it seemed to be coming from the otherside of the lone bed where part of a cover seemed to be hanging off of. Walking over to the side, Maya instantly saw a partially covered up Josh who seemed to be trying to get himself into a ball like position. "Josh!" She called out in fear and worry as she quickly got down next to him to see if he was okay.

"M-Mayaaaa… Shouldn't be…. In here..." He managed to get out as she put a hand on him.

"I think I'll have to disagree with you on that one!" As really, he looked so pale and sweaty!

She felt his forehead and instantly pulled away as it was hot! "I knew you were hot but this is ridiculous..."

Josh tried to chuckle but only succeeded in coughing instead. Prompting Maya to make the decision to call out for help as this was just too serious to leave alone. "MR. MATTHEWS!" She screamed out loudly for not only those in the house to hear but outside of it too.

Seconds later would see several people coming into the bedroom with Lucas in the lead with Riley, Farkle, and Auggie behind him with the adults quickly arriving as well. Topanga quickly got Auggie out of there as he shouldn't be seeing what was going on and potentially getting nightmares from it. After feeling his son's head himself, Alan hurriedly told Cory to call for an ambulance, making for Riley start to tear up with Maya not too far behind. It'd taken an ambulance nearly ten minutes to get there due to weather conditions and Josh was quickly loaded inside of it while leaving for quite a few concerned individuals that lived in the area.

"Alan! What happened!?" Asked George Feeny as he, Lila, Jessica, and a blue haired girl came into the Matthews' yard.

Alan looked towards the man as he held Amy in his arms. "Josh had to be taken to the hospital." He told the man brokenly while Cory and Topanga gave one another comfort while Topanga held their son in an attempt to comfort him as well that everything would be okay.

Similar scenes would also be playing out with Riley and Farkle and Lucas and Maya. Both girls had tears coming down their faces as the boys tried what they could to soothe them. They watched as the ambulance drove off with Josh inside it. "Shh… Its gonna be okay Maya. I promise."

"You don't know that Lucas!"

"Sure I do, us Cowboys always know these kinds of things." He wasn't serious at all but none the less Maya both appreciated and loved it a lot from him.

They would all quickly get to the hospital afterwards and Katy would keep her arms around her baby girl as they waited to hear of any news about Josh. A little bit later into the wait, Maya wanted to find something to keep her occupied but her sketch book was back at the Matthews' home along with Ginger who she had made sure was in his carrier before they left. The blue haired girl had offered to go back and get it for her and Lucas had also volunteered for it. As despite the really bad timing, the Friar from Texas found himself drawn to the blue haired girl who's name he'd learn was Deanna. Had Maya paid any attention to the two's interactions, jealously would have flared up in her like it did Riley who was definitely not liking the girl for managing to keep his attention for the most part.

Even if he had been consoling her some. Alan gave the young man the key to the house and told them to make sure they were safe about the drive there and back and got a nod in return. Nearly forty five minutes later would see the two return with Maya's sketch pad and some colored pencils. "About time those two got back." Muttered Riley lowly and causing Farkle to look at her in concern over that since she seemed to be a little jealous sounding.

"Hey Maya, got you your requests." Informed Lucas as he walked up to the girl who seemed lost in thought and his walk seemed to have a little swagger to it as well.

His voice managed to break her out of her thoughts as she looked up at him. "Huh? Oh! Thanks Huckleberry!" She gently took her sketchpad and pencils from him and saw much to her happiness that he had gotten the best ones for her to use.

"Hey! You even got the best ones for me to use."

Lucas shrugged at her with a smile on his face. "Yeah well, I looked at your sketchin' supplies and saw which ones you'd probably want the most. Glad it worked out." A happy Maya was a good thing in his view.

"Remind me to do something nice for you." She happily told him and completely missing the fact Riley wasn't looking too happy with them.

A laugh escaped the Huckleberry and Maya groaned as she knew he was likely gonna have fun with that. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

He then went and handed the key back to Mr. Matthews' dad as Maya happily started messing about with her sketchbook. "So any word yet?" Asked the young Friar to Alan after handing over the key.

The man shook his head in the negative. "No, not yet and I'm kind of worried about that." Admitted Alan and Lucs could understand that as he'd probably start to feel pretty worried too.

"Well sir, we can only hope and pray that all will go well." Alan smiled at the young man's words and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you Lucas."

"Anytime sir."

Lucas then went to go sit next to Riley and Farkle, only for the brunette girl to 'hmph!' him and turn her head in the opposite direction. Leaning back to look at Farkle and mouthing what that was about and only getting a look of confusion from the genius in return. _Huh, whatever I guess._ He'd worry about Riley's actions later when things weren't so serious. Catching Deanna's eye however got him a pleased little smirk from the girl and he could only hope he wasn't blushing.

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 **Author's Notes: As mentioned before, hopefully the way I set this up worked and isn't confusing for anyone. Josh is in the hospital with no word yet on his condition and just who exactly is Deanna the blue haired girl? Find out in the next chapter as we take a look at just what exactly she and Lucas got up too! And even learn a thing or two about her! I will admit though that this is a character I'd been already thinking of using for something else in relation to my Girl Meets Possibilities fic.**

 **Jesse isn't exactly an oc since there was several babies in the NICU during Josh's time there as there was a Jewish man watching over his child there. But then again Jesse kind of is an oc since I'm putting my spin on things from those scenes with other preemie babies. R and R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Disclaimer: I swear, you guys are great in regards to all the support and feedback given for this story! And no, Josh is not gonna die! Why would that be a thing to happen here? Unless you were meaning that as a question of whether or not he's going to die. Oh, and I own nothing but what you see here. Now let's roll on with what Lucas and Deanna were up too!**

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 **Sunday, December 20th, 2015 7:55 PM in the Hospital Waiting Room**

Worry and fear was high in the waiting room as the Matthews family sans Morgan, the Feenies, The Hart family, the Minkus family, and the Friar family sans Jefferson sat in the waiting room chairs awaiting word on Joshua Matthews after Maya had found him in his room quite feverish. So far they had waited for thirty minutes with no word about Josh and more than one person was a little on the worried side about that. Katy and Gammy Hart had taken seats on Maya's side in order to provide comfort for the freaked out girl after finding her crush like she had. And if Maya was being honest, she would have rather preferred him having been with a girl instead of this way. When Amy had made a remark about how this felt somewhat close to how things had been when he was born that had made Maya wonder what she meant enough to ask.

What she'd learn after that would shock not only only her but her mom and Gammy, the Minkus family, and Lucas and his mother. The fact Uncle Boing had been born pre-mature was a heck of a shock to them and it made the Blonde Beauty wonder why nothing had been said. Riley had simply told her that it wasn't the kind of thing you just bring up and she could understand that line of thinking. A little bit after that bombshell, which included Shawn Hunter's miraculous appearance, Lucas had taken to walking around a little and that's when he'd wind up in a conversation with a certain blue haired girl. "Hey there." The voice surprised Lucas a little and his eyes widened some when he saw the blue hair from Mr. Feeny's window and the cute girl it apparently belonged too.

"Hi." The young Friar couldn't help but stare at her, something that made her smirk.

"Now I know I'm like a beacon and all with the hair, but staring too long might make you blind." Which, in her view would suck for him as he was hot.

Lucs couldn't help but chuckle at the joke. The fact she sounded kind of Southern had his interest too. "Well I wouldn't want that to happen cause I still got things to see in the world."

Seeing Maya's smile again and again, his momma's cooking, and Riley being her wonder goofy self were just a few of those things. "And if I might say ma'am, the blue hair is a bold choice." Something his momma would no doubt have his hide for if he tried it.

The girl chuckled at his words and added another thing about him she'd just learned in her mind. "Ah well, you know, my dad is a real jerk and this is just one of my ways of rebelling against him." She told him with a shrug.

The way she had sounded when calling her dad that name told Lucas then and there that there must be some bad blood between the two of them. Something he could understand considering how things were between him and his dad for a long while that they were now trying to fix. "Oh, by the way cutie, the name's Deanna Feeny. So please cut it out with the ma'am crap as I had way too much of that back in Kentucky."

"Lucas Friar from Austin, Texas ma-ummm… I mean Deanna." Replied the Huckleberry immediately after and having to catch himself before he called her 'ma'am' again.

Deanna smirked at him and he couldn't help but find himself shaking his head over it as he knew full well in why she had done the action. "A Southern Country boy, I like it."

A blush creeped up his neck and heated up his face over how she had just casually flirted and complimented him. And had he been paying any attention to Riley, he would have seen the girl looking rather jealous at the interactions between him and the blue haired wonder. "I reckon I aim to please a fellow Southern Girl."

"Oh ho! Look at you tryin' to be all smooth." She told him jokingly and enjoying the Hell out of the fact he was being bashful now!

Now because of her dear old dad, Deanna didn't have much trust in men and most teenaged boys. But where this particular teenaged boy was concerned there was just something she couldn't help herself with when it came to him. She had noticed the lost and helpless look on his face as he had wondered around the room and having seen it on her mom's face made her want to do something about it. "So why aren't you with that girlfriend of yours? Figured a nice gentleman like you would be considerin' what's goin' on and all."

He went wide eyed at her after that. "Oh, uhh… She's not, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends is all. Yeah, just friends." Even if he wouldn't mind taking it a bit beyond that but with Josh in the picture and the way things were for him, that just wasn't gonna be happening anytime soon.

"Oh, sorry about that. Just thought you two were a thing."

"Nah, don't even worry about it. You wouldn't be the first to think that way about us."

And boy was that the truth! While they talked, Riley wasn't the only one paying attention as Lucas' momma was as well. _Hmm… I'm not too sure about that girl but at least she's keepin' my boy company._ She just hoped Lucas wouldn't get any crazy ideas about making his hair look like her's.

"Assumptions, you gotta love those."

Lucas chuckled. "Oh yeah, a real joy to have." And he could probably apply that to with how Riley tended to view him as. Not to mention others that knew him.

To Deanna, the way he had sounded when saying that told her he must have some experience with that. Which sucked to her but she could sympathize with him on that as she had more than one person back in Kentucky make assumptions about her and also her family that weren't even close to the mark. But before they could continue talking, Maya's voice could be heard talking about how she wished she had her sketchpad with her to keep herself occupied. Katy could then be heard asking where it was and learning that it was back at the Matthews' place. Deanna chose to walk to up to her and offered up her services if she wanted. As she figured it might be a little nice to do a little driving despite the conditions.

"I'll come with to get it." Offered up Lucas who also wanted to talk more with the blue haired wonder since he was finding himself drawn to her and really enjoying their chat.

Deanna liked the idea of him coming along as well, especially if it meant she got to make him blush again. Maya was honestly surprised by the fact this girl she didn't even know would offer to get it but was happy that her Huckleberry was pretty willing too. "I have my license so getting over there wouldn't be an issue for me."

"Oh, well thanks you two." Replied Maya gratefully.

Alan, having heard the conversation walked over to them and took out his keys, took the house key off and handed it to Lucas. "I want you two to be careful out there alright?" Now it might seem odd that he was trusting the two, but Lucas was a friend of his granddaughter's and Deanna was George Feeny's niece so if he couldn't trust them, then who could he trust?

"Yes sir." Nodded Lucas.

"You got it Mr. Matthews."

And with that, the two left and made their way down to the first floor via the elevator. Once they got to the parking lot, Lucas stopped in his tracks as Deanna walked up to her vehicle. Which happened to be a light blue 1979 F-250 Ranger truck. "Wow, what a beauty."

Deanna rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the smile on her face as she loved her baby. "She's been in the family for years and now I'm her owner." Something that had annoyed her dear old dad immensely when his dad had given it to her instead of him.

"Y'all must take real good care of her then."

"Yep, back in Kentucky we know how to appreciate a good truck." Deanna was pleasantly surprised when her new friend broke out into laughter after that.

Seeing the look of confusion and surprise on the girl's face, he managed to calm himself down to explain why he had found that funny. "Sorry about that, its just I said somethin' similar once about boots."

"Great minds think alike then."

"I reckon so." Replied Lucas happily.

The two got inside the truck and she started it up. Along the way to the Matthews' home, the two talked and Lucas would learn that she's sixteen, that she loved to write, loved bands like My Morning Jacket, the Kentucky Headhunters, Nappy Roots, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and several other bands. That she was loyal to you so long as you were loyal to her, and wasn't afraid to get into a fight. He'd get a kick out of the fact that life sized dolls scared the crap out of her and that she hated getting all dressed up. She also had a slight interest in auto mechanics, which Lucas also liked quite a bit. After she got done talking about herself, she put on some rock music and the two nodded their heads along to the music.

All the while Lucas spoke up a bit loudly to be heard over it about his interests and that like her, one of his favorite bands was Black Stone Cherry. Something the two shared a fist bump over. Now he could have told her that earlier but honestly he enjoyed hearing her accent when she talked. The lack of bubbly happiness and the lack of insults was also pretty darn appealing too if he was being honest with himself. Deanna found it to be sweet that he wanted to be a doctor for animals and the passion he had in his voice when talking about it told her he was going to see that dream through come Hell or high water. The fact he was fiercely protective of those he cared about appealed to the girl as well and knew that kind of devotion could get you into a few fights from her own experiences.

The Huckleberry from Texas was glad he had gotten this chance to meet and talk with this girl. Her mom having the courage to leave behind a man who had very poor views on women in general was a darn good thing in his view of things as well. Though he would only admit this to himself, but a part of him wouldn't mind going and knocking the lights out of the jerk for not being a better father and husband to this blue haired beauty and her momma. The two went into comfortable silence with one another as they listened to the music until Deanna lowered the volume down and asked a question about Eric.

"Is he legit? Yeah, I really do think he is as otherwise I probably wouldn't have been as willin' to help get him elected."

The work he was doing with Tommy and that Jack fella showed just how good a man Eric Matthews really is despite his goofy antics. Deanna wasn't too sure about the guy herself due to her issues with adult men but she would give a wait and see approach where he and her mom were concerned. And if it wasn't for the fact Lucas was going back to New York after Christmas… She'd probably be trying to start up something with him since he wasn't exactly giving off bad vibes. Although, a little fun couldn't hurt…

The two finally arrived at the Matthews' home and got out of the truck carefully since neither really wanted to possibly fall on their butts. Making their way to the door and getting inside with the front room light still on since no one had turned any of the lights off prior to them leaving. One of the things Lucas spotted however was Ginger's carrier and went over to see the little guy. "Hey there little buddy, I hope you're doing well." He softly said to the Ferret while giving it a little finger rub through the squared holes of the carrier's door.

Deanna watched the scene with a smile on her face as despite how she considered herself to be a tough bad ass, something like that was just cute. "Who's in there?"

Instead of answering right away, he brought up the cage to her and she could see a Ferret inside. "This is Ginger, Maya's pet Ferret whom she loves very much."

"Well a little cutie like that I'm not surprised." She remarked and wishing she could play with the little guy but thinking there would hopefully be a chance to do so later on if Maya allowed it.

Fondly smiling at Ginger as he put the carrier down, Lucas then looked around but didn't see the sketchpad. _Huh, might be in the girls' room then._

"Soooo… Cutie, I was wonderin' if you were interested in a little fun before we head back?" The blue haired girl knew it was bold of her and if her dad knew about it he'd likely flip his lid about it. Which would probably make her want to roll her eyes over the whole thing.

The suggestive tone in her voice made Lucas freeze as he wondered what exactly she was meaning with it. "Umm… Fun? What kind of fun? I mean don't get me wrong I love anything fun but we need to find Maya's sketchbook before we get to havin' fun."

Mashed Potatoe Volcanoes anyone!? Walking up to him with a smirk on her lips and a look in her eyes that honestly made the young Friar somewhat nervous as he wasn't entirely sure what it meant. Though the hint of mischieviousness in her teal colored eyes reminded him of Maya when she was up to something that usually involved trying to get on his nerves. "And you're absolutely right Tex, but here's an example of the fun."

 _Oh no, not another nickname!_ He could only hope a certain Shortstack of Pancakes wouldn't hear the nickname as no doubt she'd love the heck out of it.

Lucas however quickly became acquainted with the idea of fun the blue haired wonder had in mind when she kissed him full on the lips. Something that stunned the ever lovin' heck outta him! He surprised not only himself but Deanna as well when he put his hands on her sides and started to kiss her back when she was starting to pull away. That kiss Riley had given him had certainly been nice and unexpected but holy Tombstone was this a step above! Chuckling a little, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the favor quite happily. The two made out for several minutes before they finally stopped.

"Now what'd you think of that idea of fun Tex?" Lord knows she certainly loved it!

"Its… Um, wow." Was all he was able to get out as his brain tried to re-start and making the girl break out into pleased laughter.

 _I did good._ Thought the pleased girl from Kentucky.

Now he had never done something like that before and he certainly had no intention of tellin' his momma what happened as he didn't want a lecture over it! Deanna had seemed to know what she was doing and he liked that and he felt she seemed to like that he was giving back what he could despite his relative inexperience in that area of life. "Pardon me for sayin' this Kentucky, but I wouldn't mind doin' that again."

He got laughter in response but he didn't mind it one bit as he was pretty much on cloud 9 at that point. _Not too good with nicknames… But I like his for me anyway._

Pulling away from him and smirking when she noticed his frown over the loss of contact, she playfully told him that if he played his cards right it just might happen. "Ah reckon Ah'll hafta play some good hands then."

His sudden use of country slang made the girl burst into a fit of giggles and it was a sound that much like her laugh that Lucas liked hearing. "You're ha ha! On your way!" She managed to get out as Lucas started up the steps once he finally got his brain fully going.

"Good tah hear!" That made her giggle even more.

Once getting to the girls' room, Lucas quickly found Maya's stuff and grabbed the sketchpad and looked at her colored pencils to see which would be best to use as ones that would crap out right when the artist was really getting into would suck a great deal. Once he was satisfied with what he had, he nodded at Deanna and the two made their way back down stairs, turned off the light, opened the door and locked it, and made their way out while closing it. The two quickly made their way to the truck as much as they could as once again they definitely didn't want to fall on their butts. Lucas would be pleasantly surprised when the blue haired wonder laid another on him that he happily returned once they parked in the hospital's parking lot. Making for him to have a bit of a swagger in his walk once they got into the waiting room and he handed over what Maya needed.

And ten minutes later after the came in, which would include confusion on Lucas' part where Riley was concerned and some blushing from the teasing Deanna was doing with the raising of her eyebrows, winking, smirking at him, and biting her lip anytime she looked at him, a doctor in scrubs approached the group. Alan and Amy had quickly stood up and walked to meet the man on his path to them. "How's our son doctor?" Asked the father of four with worry in his voice as he put an arm around his wife.

"Had he been brought in any later it likely would have been worse then what it is right now. As it stands, he's got Bronchitis with a mild case of a Respiratory Infection. We have him on medications right now with the intention of keeping Josh over night to keep an eye on him. Depending on how things could go, your son may need to spend a day or two more here."

Amy was crying while feeling relieved they had managed to get him here before it had gotten the chance to be any worse. And she wasn't the only one feeling relieved as well by the news. "So he's gonna be okay?" Asked Riley with fear and hope in her voice.

The doctor smiled at her. "Yes ma'am, he's going to be just fine but he's likely going to need plenty of bed rest once he gets home thanks to his preemie status."

"Can we see him doctor?" Alan asked.

The man nodded. "You can as there's still some time left for visiting hours but he won't be awake anytime soon however as he's currently asleep thanks to the medications."

Alan nodded his understanding before turning back to look at the others. "I uhh… I know you probably all would like to see him right now but for now I think it would be best if Amy and I spent a litle time with him."

His request was one that absolutely none of them had a problem with. "Take all the time you need dad." Eric said seriously as Jessica put a hand on his shoulder in support and comfort while Katy hugged Maya as the girl started to cry in relief that things weren't a lot worse as Cory and Topanga comforted their children as well.

It'd be awhile before any of them saw the two again and Eric would have another of those moments when he went to God over something pretty darn serious.

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 **Author's Notes: Figured ending it there would be a good idea to do. The verdict is out in regards to Josh and I'm curious on what any of you think about it. And before anyone fires off an angry review about Lucas being too young to make out with girls, consider this for a moment. Shawn himself was pretty much doing this almost as soon as he got into High School and he was only what? 14? Where as Lucas is 15 if Zay's remark about him being a year older is anything to go by. So the make out scenes aren't unrealistic in any way.**

 **Its also pretty natural he'd wind up doing things with other girls who aren't Riley or Maya as well despite any feelings involved. Anyways… Hope you all enjoyed and R and R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Disclaimer: And we's a rollin' on! Oh, and I own nothing but what you see here. Yay for GMW last night as well!**

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 **Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015 7:41 PM at the Hospital Waiting Room**

Nearly two days had passed since the doctor had informed the group of Josh's condition and they had yet to release him despite the fact he was on the mend. For Riley Matthews, this had certainly been quite the scary experience for her and a part of her hoped that her own children, along with the children of her best friends wouldn't ever experience something like what Josh had. Especially being born prematurely as he had been. Seeing her best friend and sister in all but blood look as shaken as she had had bothered the Pretty Brunette quite a bit as usually she was such a strong and fierce girl. It helped Riley to see that maybe she really did have more then just a crush on her uncle and it made her wonder how Lucas would handle it considering the two seemed to have more of a thing then what she and him ever did have. Course that more selfish part of her hoped it might make him turn into her direction again.

Which she had acknowledged as not really being that much of a great thing since she would likely feel like a second best choice. Not that that selfish side of her seemed to care any but she did her best to ignore it. Now she couldn't help but have an issue with that Deanna girl with the wildly blue hair. Oh, she wasn't actually doing anything bad, that much she could admit too but it was the fact she seemed to be keeping Lucas' attention and making him blush at times. It had made her want to scratch the girl's eyes out for even daring to think of trying anything with him! But at least she was being friendly with Farkle, Auggie, and even Maya when the blonde was receptive to interacting and not so focused on her sketching or thoughts of Josh. The girl had even given her friends and little brother nicknames too!

Riley did have to admit however that she liked the 'Bambi' nickname Deanna had given her as it was just really cute and definitely her. Something both Farkle and Lucas even admitted to be pretty fitting for her. And as Riley and everybody else waited and occasionally left when there was a need for it, Shawn and Morgan had yet to show up which Riley had found fairly odd but thought it might have something to do with weather conditions. It had been a real treat though to see Janitor Harley and his sister Theresa when they showed up to offer support. She even had this adorable little nickname for her dad too! Theresa as they would all find out had entered the field of therapy and specialized in helping out teenagers with bad home situations.

The Pretty Brunette thought it was a great thing and even her dad had to agree with it as he felt that if anyone could help them it would be her. Something Theresa had taken as a compliment and hugged her dad over. And surprisingly enough, she seemed to quickly develop a great rapport with Lucas, Maya, and Deanna and even told the three, plus Riley, Farkle, and Auggie to consider her as the really cool aunt and to call anytime they needed to vent about anything that was bothering them. Something Auggie could definitely get behind as to him she definitely looked cool! The sight of two Keiner siblings and Mr. Feeny was pretty wonderful to see and while she hadn't heard what was said, it obviously had been enough to get the two to hug him, action that made him somewhat surprised at first before hugging them back.

And currently Riley was watching as Mr. Feeny stared at Maya in silent contemplation as she went about sketching with a furrowed brow as she intensely concentrated on her work while singing quietly to herself a variation of the Jingle Bells song involving Lucas and the others. A sight that Riley honestly loved as it was rare to see such a thing from her best friend. "Miss Hart?" Spoke up the man at last.

Maya looked up at him in surprise as she hadn't even realized no one was near by her. "Oh, hey Feeny! S'up?"

Mr. Feeny's eyebrows raised up a bit as Riley shook her head at her best friend's greeting of the man. "Mr. Hunter has clearly been an influence upon you Ms. Hart." His tone wasn't condescending but more of that of someone making an observation.

Maya laughed at that. "Oh no, I was like this long before he came into my life. You can even ask Riley about that." She replied with a smile on her lips.

The good Feeny turned towards Riley who only nodded confirmation at that and then he gave his attention back to Maya. "Well, that's alright then." Better to be something similar to Shawn Hunter in some ways then some thuggish brute who didn't care for much he supposed.

Plus it was perfect karma as far as he was concerned considering young Cory is a teacher and Ms. Hart is his student. "So if you don't mind my commenting on it, I couldn't help but notice you were intensely concentrated on what you were drawing. Would you by chance be willing to allow me to see your work? As I've heard quite a bit about it and I've been awfully curious to see it for myself in person."

Both girls were very surprised to hear that and Maya wondered who exactly had been telling him about her passion for art. _I bet it was Matthews._ Had to be as he's one of her biggest supporters when it came to her making art and not giving it up.

She did have to admit though it was a little intense to be hearing that such a huge figure like Mr. Feeny wanted to see her art! "Yeah, umm… Okay!" She finally replied somewhat nervously and handed him her sketch pad.

Mr. Feeny took it gently from her and when he looked at her work he couldn't help but feel stunned by what he had in his hands. _Word of mouth and pictures have clearly done little justice when it comes to this young lady's skill in the arts._

The sketch consisted of young Joshua wielding a sword with a determined look on his face as he stood face to face with a shadowy creature with a red eye. The armor on the young man looked to be damaged and what scenery there was looked to be in some form of disarray as well. "Ms. Hart, this is remarkable. Simply remarkable."

The honesty in his voice made Maya feel very touched and it even drew in Alan as Amy was sitting with Josh, Eric, Jack, Deanna, and Tommy. "That should totally be in a comic book." Eric said seriously.

"Eric!" Reprimanded Alan sternly.

"What!? I'm just sayin'! Art that good in a comic would have me buyin' it just for that alone!"

Deanna had to agree with the man on that. "Heck, I would too."

Mr. Feeny then showed the sketch to everyone else as Maya felt even more touched by the praise she was getting. While she wasn't as into comics like Farkle, Zay, and Lucas were, the idea of a bunch of comic book readers seeing her art in their comics and even liking it a lot was a little on the mind boggling side to her as she still had trouble sometimes coming to grips with the fact that people genuinely loved her art. "Oh baby girl, I am so proud of you." Gushed Katy with a huge smile on her face.

"I think I can safely say that we all are." Commented Cory with a proud look on his face.

 _She'll go far if she's willing to go for it._ Thought the teacher.

Riley was truly happy for her best friend as she deserved all the praise she got. She started to feel a certain thing bubble up in her that wanted to come out but being in a hospital probably wasn't a good idea to let it out. She couldn't help the bouncing she started to do in her seat and everyone looked her way, causing her to blush in response. "Everything okay Ms. Matthews?" Asked Mr. Feeny in concern.

It wouldn't be her who answered but Maya instead with a little smile on her face. "Oh she's more then okay, aren't ya Honey?"

She could only get a nod from the girl as she tried to keep her mouth closed. A chuckle came from Maya over that while everybody else watched in curiousity or amusement due to knowing what was going on. "Come on, you know you wanna." Coaxed the Blonde Beauty.

That was enough for Riley to let loose as she could no longer contain it. "YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAYYY!" Came the happy shout of joy that had quite a few people looking their way in disapproval.

Maya broke out into full on laughter over that and Deanna, Lucas, and Farkle couldn't help but find Riley to be particularly cute in that moment. "Feel better sweetheart?" Asked an amused Topanga.

"Oh you have no idea!"

Gosh had it felt so good to do it! "Thats our Riley." Commented Farkle with what looked to be an adoring smile in the girl's direction.

And if the girl herself blushed a bit over it? No one was really going to comment on it aloud. _If I didn't know better, I'd think my son's heart has already been captured._ Mused Stuart to himself and wondered what his wife would think of it had she been there to see it instead of visiting her parents for a bit.

Mr. Feeny looked to Maya once again and handed her back her sketchpad. "Thank you Ms. Hart for allowing me to see such well done work. Something I hope to see more of in the future."

Her response surprised the man greatly as she jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you Mr. Feeny." She told him softly and not even caring that she properly addressed him.

"Quite welcome my dear, quite welcome." And if his returning the hug made her feel even more happiness? Then even better.

The group was quiet as they observed the tenderly touching moment with smiles on their faces. Though their attention was soon grabbed when a deep sounding 'Hoo!' chant could be heard coming in their direction. And leading the chanters was none other then Shawn Hunter himself as he and the others moved up and down as they slapped their knees and clapped their hands. The line of chanters came to a stop in front of everybody as they stared in confusion, interest, and mild amusement at them. A big fellow that Cory and the other adults knew as Frankie 'The Enforcer' Stecchino came out of the line and faced them. "We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad!" His voice proved a comment of Joey's that was once said to be very right about him sounding like an angel.

The line of people let out another 'Hoo!' chant followed by Morgan Matthews-Baker stepping out of the line and faced the group of family and friends. "And there ain't none other like the Joshua Matthews Squad!"

Joey 'The Rat' Epstein came out of the line next after another 'Hoo!' chant. "That's right! We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad!"

Jesse Abelman stepped up next. "That Joshua Matthews fella's a really cool guy all the ladies love! Cause he's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews!"

A Native American girl then stepped up next after another round of the chant. "We got that Preemie Squad status for life and like my boy Jesse said, that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews is a real cool dude!" And she would know considering their past history together as more than just friends for a time.

Shawn finally stepped up next with a huge smile on his face. "He's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews and he really is getting to be as cool as me! If not cooler! I told him once to never go out of town and hopefully he'll follow that advice here and now! Cause he's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews!" Cory and Topanga were able to remember only one other time Shawn had sung and it had been great and this was proving to be equally great!

Then, the remaining teenagers lined up with the rest and sang together as a whole group. "We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad and there ain't none other like it! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Those watching erupted into cheers and a lot of hugging occurred after that. You also might be wondering why that had been allowed to go on without being stopped and it was all due in part to a phone call or two Shawn had made to the hospital to ensure things would go off without a hitch. The hug Alan was giving to Shawn was a rather emotional one too as the older man had tears in his eyes over the gesture Shawn and the others had done. "Thank you son." Said the man in a heartfelt tone of voice.

"Anytime, anywhere Mr. Matthews. You guys are family."

A few seconds later would see Alan looking at the bunch Shawn had brought with him as he wrapped an arm around Morgan and kissed her on the forehead while keeping his other arm around Shawn. "What you've all done here today truly means more then I can say. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Frankie walked up to Alan with a smile and his hands clasped together in front of him. "It was a true honor to do sir. Joshua has proven to be a truly good person and I couldn't say no to Shawn when he made the request to me and Joey."

Morgan, Jesse, Native American girl, and the other teens all nodded in agreement about being unable to say no. "Yeah, my little brother still owes me five bucks." Added Morgan with a teasing smile.

A few years after graduation, Frankie and Joey had an idea involving the city's youth, an idea that Vader wouldn't like at all. Much as he didn't when it came to Frankie's decision to pursue other things like poetry instead of wrestling. Gaining assistance from Mr. Feeny and a few city officials, the two boys were able to start up a youth center aimed at helping to keep the youths of Philadelphia from being on the streets so much and also potentially preventing them from going down bad paths in life. The youth center turned out to be a hit with many of the youth in the city and parents as well. Theresa Keiner often visited and helped out with the kids there when Frankie or Joey couldn't exactly provide the right words they needed to hear. Unfortunately, they also had more then one run in with Mr. Mack and his Center.

The cause Mr. Feeny had started in trying to shut the man down had been taken up by Theresa, Frankie, and Joey and they always fought as hard as they could to prevent the man from taking any teenagers and twisting their minds with his words. The three, along with Mr. Feeny were seeking legal means to finally end the Center and had even gotten Cory and Topanga involved as well. It was taking time but they all felt confident they would succeed soon. Although Joey had a slight beef with Cory over Harley working as a janitor. As he felt his old boss should be doing something more then that kind of thing despite Harley himself telling his old underling he felt like he deserved what he got in life.

Morgan herself was still something of a sarcastic woman and her sarcasm had been used more than once to get under the skin of those she didn't particularly care for in her place of employment in the business world. Outside of her job, she was as sweet as can be, a fact her husband certainly loved as he had been exposed to her sarcastic side on more than one occasion before they got serious. The Native American girl known as Halona, which meant 'Of Happy Fortune' was like Josh and Jesse in that she too had been born premature and she'd been given her name after managing to survive what life had thrown her way when born. She, Josh, and Jesse formed a pretty solid group with several others that they liked to call 'The Preemie Squad' and were always willing to welcome newcomers to the group who had gone through similar experiences.

They were also always hanging out at the youth center Frankie and Joey ran and sometimes helped out with the problems of teenagers there or when an event was going on that needed extra hands. "So where's mom at dad?" Asked Morgan curiously as she hadn't seen her just yet.

"Oh she's in the room with your brother right now."

"So Shawn and I could go in then?" The fact she included him said a lot about what she thought of him and he honestly felt touched by it.

Alan nodded with a smile and the two went on as everybody else continued to mingle. Morgan was the first inside, causing Amy to look up and gasp in surprised happiness. Both soon found themselves in a hug by the woman that they were only to happy to return as Josh watched from his bed with a smile of his own. Grateful that he was awake for this and not knocked out from the medications he's having to take for his illness. "I am so happy to see the two of you!"

"Sorry for being so late Mrs. Matthews."

Amy looked at him as if he was crazy for even thinking of that. "Who says you were late Shawn? As far as I'm concerned, the both of you are right on time."

Her heartfelt response made Shawn quite happy and if Morgan were in a sarcastic mood she might have said something along the lines of him being all sappy. "That's my mom, always saying the right things."

"Comes with being a mother. Something I'm sure you will find out about when the time comes." Morgan rolled her eyes at her mom's subtle hint about grandchildren as Shawn and Josh watched on amused.

"Come on ma, the world's not ready for that kind of thing yet." Josh said cheekily and chuckling a little when Morgan poked her tongue out at him.

Shawn looked over at him before speaking. "You're being you and they still won't let you out of the hospital?"

"I know! I think its a conspiracy or somethin'." But man was he glad he wasn't having much trouble breathing anymore as the way he was sounding prior to getting put in here had sucked!

"Cory would probably know more then I would about that sort of thing." What, with him being a History teacher and all.

Josh considered that for a moment and had to agree that yeah, he probably would know! He then got a double helping of hugs from his uncle Shawn and big sister Morgan. "Had me worried about ya little brother." She told him softly.

"Same here kid, same here."

"Trust me, that definitely wasn't my intention. Everybody I love is here and I don't wanna go out of town cause of that." The thought of that happening scared him more then he wanted to admit.

A chuckle escaped Shawn as he pulled out of the hug and looked at his nephew. "Not only are you getting to be as cool as me, but you're also getting to be as wise as me." The writer/photographer was happy Josh had taken those particular words to heart as well as he had after a little talk they had a few years ago.

"What can I say? I've had some good teachers in my life."

"You're absolutely right about that!" Replied Morgan as with a bunch like them how can you not learn something?

The two, along with Amy and various others would talk with Josh for a little while longer until visiting hours were over and it was time for him to get some rest via the meds that were helping him get better. Pretty much everybody would get to hug him before leaving and the soon to be college bound Matthews was feeling grateful as could be by the end of it all. He was a little surprised though when Maya pecked him on the cheek during her hug and gave him a little wink before walking off. That girl really was something else in his view and whoever got to be with her would be lucky as can be.

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 **Author's Notes: I hope you guys loved this chapter. It certainly took me time to finish it but it was worth it 100 percent! The song bit (which clearly shows I'm a bit horrible at lyrics writing) had been something I was really looking forward to writing after I thought about it and I'm glad I finally got too. Up next: Christmas Eve arrives and Josh gets to go home. R and R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Disclaimer: Let's get boogie! And as always I own nothing. I do make some great tea though!**

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 **Thursday, December 24th, 2015 5:10 PM at the Matthews' Home**

Wednesday had come and gone and with it had seen Josh be released from the hospital much to his and everyone else's happiness. Of course he'd been told he'd need to take some medications until he was completely better and to rest as much as he could until then as he didn't want to cause problems for himself. Now he didn't mind the chance to rest up as much as he could but it did mean it'd be sucky in one aspect. Which was not being able to do much with Auggie while the little guy was there. But he would certainly try and make up for it the next chance he got. When Auggie learned of what his uncle had to do, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that they would do something together the next chance they got after he was all better.

Josh was all too willing to agree to that condition and more than one person found that to be fairly adorable. After they had gotten home, Alan himself had made it clear to Joey, Frankie, Harley, Theresa, and the Preemie Squad that they were all more than welcome to spend Christmas with them if they wanted too. Something they all had greatly appreciated and told the man they would come by if time allowed for it. A little while after Josh had been brought home and he'd gone to rest up in his bedroom, Riley would corner Lucas for a little talk where Deanna was concerned. It wouldn't exactly go as she expected since he believed that the situation with the blue haired wonder was nothing like the time with Missy and that if she actually talked to her, that she would see that for herself.

So she finally decided to see for herself and if need be, get the girl to see that she should look elsewhere for a boyfriend. Which brings us to now on Thursday and in the living room of the Matthews' home. Everyone else was occupied with one thing or another that also may or may not involve her grandfather's store and helping to close up for the night due to Christmas the next day. Riley had got to watching some Christmas movie she came across on the tv while she waited for Deanna to come over and naturally right when she was really getting into it, the girl herself shows up while wearing purple boots, blue jeans, and some red band sweater with a hoodie. Her blue hair was in a braid as well.

Riley, along with Wendy and Auggie had stayed at the house to keep an eye on Josh and so that Auggie wouldn't get bored while at the store. Mr. Feeny was also a phone call away if he was seriously needed for anything as well.

"Hey there Bambi! Heard ya wanted to talk?"

Riley muted the tv and stood up with a smile on her face. "Yes, yes I did actually. And thank you for coming by the way."

"Hey it gets me out of Uncle George's house so its all good for me." She hadn't really had any desire to go driving and ol' Tex was off doing something or other with his momma's family for the time being and the blonde girl with the mad art skills hadn't been around that much either to chill with. Or at least that's what she thought Tex was doing anyway since neither had exchanged phone numbers just yet.

But she was willing to chill with Bambi as she hadn't had much opportunity to talk with the girl. The fact she got some jealous vibes off the brunette had made her curious and figured this talk might have something to do with that. "I invited you over because I wanted to talk with you about Lucas."

Deanna raised an eyebrow at that and sat down on the couch after the girl did. "Alright, what about him?"

"I really don't think its appropriate that you two are hanging out so suddenly."

"Bambi, we just connected faster then most do is all. Its nothin' to worry about." Tried the girl but it seemed the brunette wasn't having it.

"It is something to worry about! It could hurt my best friend and I don't want that for her!"

Deanna wasn't too sure about that one however as Blondie seemed a lot stronger then that. "Considerin' she's been a slight bit occupied with that uncle of yours, I think you might be worried for nothin' where she's concerned."

The blue haired wonder could tell Bambi wasn't liking her responses and decided to speak up before she could do so herself. "And I have to wonder though, is it really Blondie you're worried about in all this? Or is it just you havin' some jealousy issues?"

Riley immediately denied any jealousy on her part as she stood up. "And of course I'm worried about Maya! She likes him and he likes her, but you being around is going to make it that much harder for them to get together!" Not that she would admit the fact she's a factor herself in the whole thing between the two. Bad enough Maya had a crush on her uncle and who knows how Lucas felt about that.

Deanna shook her head as she could tell the girl's own jealousy was a factor even though she was trying to deny it. "You seem to be forgetting one little thing in all this." Started the girl and making Riley look down at her in confusion.

"Tex is probably never gonna see me again after Christmas cause I'm here in Philly and he's in New York with you guys. So me bein' in the way like you seem to think I'm gonna be is just not gonna happen." Although she did have to admit to at least herself that possibly not seeing him again for however long would suck as she had quickly come to like the guy. His not being a bad kisser despite a lack of experience was a nice bonus too.

"But you could always drive there to see him! Plus calling, texting, and emailing!"

 _Got a point there._

"And if any of that happens, then it happens and is our business. If Blondie has an issue with it she can always speak up for herself instead of you doin' it on her behalf."

The frustrated look on the younger girl's face and the way she crossed her arms told Deanna that her calm, laid back responses was really getting to the girl. Which only told her that the girl was the one with the real issue as she'd been thinking previously. "Well I don't like it!"

Deanna just shrugged at her. "I'm sorry to hear that but its just the way it is." A thought popped into her head and she had to grin inside her mind as she knew doing it outside of that would tip Bambi off to the fact she had something devious in mind.

"And uhh… Here's a question for ya cutie pie. Is it really me you're jealous of? Or are you actually jealous its Lucas I'm doin' anything with instead of you?"

Riley just stared at her in shock for several moments and the blue haired wonder had to keep from laughing at the sight. "I umm… What? No! That's, that's not it at all!" Spluttered the girl in a freaked out way.

"Are ya sure? That reaction plus the blushin' tells me a very different story." Not that she was actually blushing but she couldn't help but mess with the girl even more!

"I am not blushing! And you are turning this into something its not!" As really! She liked boys thank you very much!

"Hey, its totally cool if you're into girls and boys ya know? Its becomin' a lot more acceptable in this day and age." Lord knows she liked girls as much as she did boys.

 _Oh my God! Does she like girls in a more then friends kind of way!? She is SO not right for Lucas!_

"Are… Are you gay?" Asked Riley hesitantly. Now she liked to think of herself as open minded but the way things had suddenly gone was really starting to freak her out some.

Deanna stood up, took a few steps towards Riley, and leaned in a little too close for Riley's comfort. "I'm bi actually. Which means I get the best of both worlds." Replied the girl with a grin and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Eep!" Deanna had to keep from laughing after that but couldn't help but find that sound to be pretty cute.

Another thought came to her and she knew it was likely to freak out the little cutie pie even more. "You wanna see what its like? I bet it'd be an amazin' first kiss for ya."

"I um… L-Lucas was my first kiss. Actually I uhh, I kissed him first but it was you know, my um... My first kiss when it happened."

"Aww that's so sweet! But I'd be more than happy to be your first kiss with another girl." Deanna told her with another suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows and enjoying the Hell out of the fact she was getting the girl so darn flustered!

Riley gaped at her and things were silent between the two until Riley hauled butt up stairs, leaving Deanna to watch her as she left with a huge smile on her face. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down on the couch. "Well I think that worked out pretty well. A whole lot of fun too!" Grabbing the remote, she un-muted the tv and had the brief thought that she wouldn't mind doing something like that again with Bambi. Who knows, maybe she'd actually get her to blush too!

A few minutes later would see a line of Matthews', Harts, a Friar, two Hunters, a Murphy, and the Minkus' enter the house with Maya in the lead who happened to be wearing a blue bandanna on her head. "I do the Hoo! Hoo!" Chanted the group as they came in and looking quite tired but happy now that they were all there.

Maya and Lucas plopped down next to Deanna on opposite sides of her as Farkle pretty much just fell to the floor, making Deanna a bit concerned since no one else seemed to be about it. "Shouldn't there be some concern over that?"

"Nah, he practically does it all the time Blue."

"Its when he starts talkin' in other languages that you need to be feelin' worried then." Added in Lucas tiredly.

"Oh, well, okay then." And with that, the three teens got absorbed into what was on the screen as the adults either conked out where they could or went to go help Wendy and her mother with the dinner they were preparing.

For Stuart Minkus as he sat in the recliner and his wife leaning into him as she sat on his lap, today was perhaps the most hardest he'd worked in some time. But he couldn't deny that he loved every bit of it. Alan Matthews had done a tremendous job over the years with Matthews' Goods and the expansion of it from its original size was a testament to that as well. He was wondering if Mr. Matthews would be willing to allow him to invest in the store so that it wouldn't potentially face any serious troubles for another number of years. As it is, the gift he and his wife had in mind after the recent events with Joshua was bound to upset the man if he had a huge amount of pride in him.

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 **Author's Notes: I am probably a very horrible man for that scene between Riley and Deanna.** **But I can't deny I enjoyed writing it!** **Though if anyone thinks Riley was out of character with the confrontation, then you might want to remember how she acted where Missy was concerned.** **I'm also unsure if the little chant is the actual Mayaville chant but it seemed the closest to it so I went with that. But if its not that, then please do let me know!**

 **And if anyone happens to get where Deanna's last line comes from after Riley hauls butt then you win a No Prize! I kinda figured the store Amy bought and Alan essentially took over would manage to do pretty well and even expand its size to accommodate the increase of customers.** **Even though it is a Sporting Goods and Outdoor Supply store. R and R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing but what you see here. Which kind of sucks but that's life! Now… Let's roll on! Special thanks to the guest who told me what the actual Mayaville chant might be. And the quote of the hour. "I'm on an emotional roller coaster." Cory Matthews during the dinner scene with Wendy at his house in the episode 'Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard To Do'.**

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 **Friday, December 25th, 2015 Christmas Day 6:22 PM in the Matthews' Living Room**

The day had so far turned out to be a pretty wonderful one so far. Wendy and Lucas had spent time at her family's home and a phone call was made out to not only Jefferson, but to Zay and Pappy Joe as well, though he had to avoid some of the more sugary treats Grandma Jansen had made. The Minkus and Bassett families wound up gathering all together in one place for their Christmas gathering that would be able to accommodate them all pretty easily and it proved to be quite the experience too for Farkle. One of his cousins had even brung a girlfriend with them who brought a friend of her's along as well who seemed to take an immediate liking to Farkle after seeing him. Though she wasn't too happy when he turned her down while explaining he has a girlfriend back home. Thankfully she didn't push the issue after that but she did tell him if that didn't work out to either call her up or come search for her on Facebook with a little suggestive wink.

Mr. Pip as Deanna had referred to him as had to be careful to not let her see him throw away her phone number while he was at the Christmas Festivities as while he wasn't interested, he still didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings or get her mad at him for that matter. Shawn had taken the lovely Hart ladies, along with Jack to visit Chet Hunter's grave, and then to visit his family down at the trailer park which had been a real treat to Maya as they were all quite the bunch. Especially where uncle Mike was concerned! He'd even taught her the family motto of 'We didn't do it' since he felt she and the other two Hart ladies were as good as family. Something she honestly appreciated while Katy wasn't too sure about the motto but left it be.

There'd even be a rather entertaining argument between Mike and Shawn about trading in Chet's old mobile home for a motorcycle that the older man could help him get. Shawn had countered that something like that wasn't really needed since he couldn't fit three people on a motorcycle. Mike had conceded to the fairly good point with a raised eyebrow and a nod of his head. Eddie hadn't been a real big favorite since he just screamed trouble Maya, Gammy Hart took a shine to aunt Debbie as the woman knew her interest when it came to Bull fighting. Something Maya hoped a certain Ranger Rick wouldn't ever get the dumb idea to try and do.

Shawn's sister Stacey hadn't been able to make it home for Christmas due to her job as a hair stylist for some singer but did send a few postcards with hair care tips written on them. For Jack, this was another of those times where he felt he had really missed out in growing up with the Hunter family but was still none the less grateful for how things did turn out. And when he thought about it, he still had plenty of time to be around them now to make up for lost time. Even though a few of the more notorious members of the Hunter family made him nervous as Hell since they gave off a vibe that said 'look at me wrong and I'll rob ya blind!'

The Feeny clan enjoyed themselves a nice quiet holiday but George did have to admit his nervousness was growing about the present he had in mind to give to the Matthews/Hunter clan. The former teacher had even automatically included the Friars, Stuart's family, young Thomas, and the Harts into that considering their closeness to the Matthews/Hunter clan. A closeness he wagered would last lifetimes. While he and his family enjoyed their day together, the Matthews' did the same by opening presents first and leaving a few be for their additonal friends who were more like family then just friends. Tommy felt honored to even be considered a Matthews, something Josh was all too happy to claim hiim as much to Eric's happiness. A little after 6:00 PM would see Lucas and Wendy make their way to the Matthews' home and about twenty minutes into it, Eric along with Riley went to the fence to call out to Mr. Feeny.

Josh would have came along but didn't want to risk potentially getting sick all over again so he stayed by the kitchen window to see the whole thing. Tommy and Lucas followed along to see what Eric would do to get the older man out of his house. "I get to see the master at work." Said Riley happily as it was always fun to watch him do the Feeny Call.

"That's right my little Neitch. You gonna join me?"

"Are you sure? I mean I know you passed the Feeny Call to me but I thought you would want to do it on your own."

"Of course I'm sure! Its only right after all that me and my Neitch do this together." He told her as he layed a hand on her shoulder and looking her right into the eyes.

Riley could see how serious he was being and it made her happy that he wanted her to do it with him. "Yay!" Eric smiled at that and told her to the count of three to start the call.

"Mr. Feeny!" Called out the two together.

"Oh Mr. Feeny!" Added Riley seconds later with a big smile on her face.

"Fuh-fuh-fuh-Feeny! Mistah Feenay!"

This went on for several minutes while Tommy and Lucas were pretty much laughing their butts off at the sight of the whole thing. The two Feeny Callers would suddenly go silent however when Mr. Feeny himself placed his hands over their mouths to silence them. A sight that had Josh laughing from on the inside of the house. At least until Maya spooked him from behind with a 'boo!' "Must you use the Call on Christmas Eric?" Asked George while Lila, Jessica, and Deanna all watched with smiles on their faces behind him.

Eric nodded since the older man had yet to remove his hand. George sighed and removed his hands from the two's mouths. "Well we had to get you out of the house somehow." Eric told him while Riley nodded with a smile.

"And it never occurred to the two of you to walk over and knock on the door?"

The two looked at one another before looking back at him. "Nope!" The two told him at the same time with big ol' happy smiles on their faces.

They were quite surprised when Mr. Feeny broke out into laughter seconds later after looking at them so seriously. "Uhh… What's, what's so funny Mr. Feeny?" Asked Eric as he was very confused! And he wasn't the only one for that matter either!

Gaining control of himself, the man answered him. "It pleases me to know that some things will never end."

"Well it is a classic and shouldn't ever end." Spoke up Riley.

"Too true my dear, too true." George told her with a smile as he opened up the gate and the two moved away from it for him to come through, followed by his family members.

Eric was even more surprised when the older man pulled him into a hug. "Merry Christmas Eric." He told him warmly.

"You too Mr. Feeny."

The two pulled away from the hug and George looked to Riley next. "A lovely Merry Christmas to you as well Ms. Matthews." And it wasn't him who initiated the hug this time but her.

Riley pulled away a few seconds later and looked up at him. "Come on Grandpa George, let's go inside."

George looked down at her in surprise over that. "Grandpa?"

"Mm-hmm, to me you are practically our great-grandfather due to how long you've been in everyone's lives and the fact you care so much."

Lila and Jessica had pleased smiles on their faces while Deanna was grinning and giving the girl two thumbs up. "That's muh Nietch!" Eric called out proudly.

"Oh, well… I am honored you think that way about me." Said the man and feeling very touched by the young girl's words.

No further words were said as the two walked into the house and the others following along behind them with smiles on their faces. _Bambi done good._

 **Twenty Minutes Later**

Stuart, Jennifer, and Farkle came in and more then one person could tell the young genius was looking a little freaked out as he sat down next to his friends while his parents started conversing with the other adults. "Gee Farks, you look a little weirded out. See something you didn't like?" Asked Maya jokingly.

"What!? There wasn't any Mistletoe! Or phone numbers given! Nothing I say!"

Lucas, Maya, Riley, and Deanna all looked at one another in confusion over that. "Who said anything about Mistletoe buddy?" Wondered Lucas with a confused look on his face who also had his arm behind Maya as well.

Farkle looked at his best friend with that panicked and freaked out look on his face. "Nobody! Nobody said anything about that! Why would you bring it up!?" He then started to speak in another language in a fast paced way.

Causing Riley to rush over to him to try and get him to calm down by gently shaking him. "Farkle! Breathe! You're talking in another language that we can't understand!" Though she briefly wondered if uncle Shawn would know.

He looked into her eyes as she looked into his and it seemed like an eternity passed for the two while the others watched on. Riley's calming presence seemed to help soothe the freaked genius and snap out of non English talking moment. "Right… Um… Thank you Riley. I needed that." Ohh how he hoped Isadora wouldn't get too angry with him for something that wasn't even his fault!

"Anytime partner." She then moved behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder to help be a continuing presence of calmness.

Jennifer had been tempted to come over and gush to her son's friends about his first big kiss but seeing the rather sweet moment between her boy and Riley made her think otherwise. Seeing the two interact in the way they had just now made her wonder if there was more than friendship that the two didn't exactly realize was there. The journey to them realizing it would certainly be an interesting one in her view as well. She just hoped it wouldn't take the two years to figure it out. Jennifer had long suspected as it is that her son's feelings for Riley hadn't ever gone away, even as he began dating Isadora Smackle. Course with that young lady at the Minkus/Bassett Christmas gathering laying a kiss on him like she did with the Mistletoe might present a problem if Isadora has jealousy issues in some form despite her Aspergers.

"So! If my thinking is right, there was Mistletoe, possibly a girl, and you. Said possible girl laid one right on ya didn't she?"

Maya then grinned smugly. "Yeah, see? I know stuff." She was just lazy is all unless it had to do with art. That and school was kind of difficult for her for some reason where her eyes were concerned.

"Nobody ever thought ya didn't Shortstack." Defended Lucas and got a smile in return as the Blonde Beauty knew that at least he didn't since awhile back he had shared his distaste over the fact that some liked to assume she didn't know certain things. He also had distaste for the fact that Riley liked to use her homelife to try and cheer others up.

"I can neither confirm or deny that. For such things could reach Isadora's ears and I fear what she might do." Heck, she had an in with NASA for Science's sake!

Riley patted him on the shoulder in comfort. "Its okay, nobody but you will say anything to her about any of that. Right?" She fixed her best friend and Lucas a look that meant she was serious.

"Hey, that's between the two of them." Spoke up Lucas with one of his hands raised in a defensive gesture.

"Oh sure, ruin my fun but okay." Added Maya fake grumpily as even she didn't want to see those two crazy kids have issues.

"Have ya thought about callin' your girl Pip?" Asked Deanna curiously from her spot on the couch.

Farkle shook his head in the negative. "I uhh, didn't think it'd be appropriate to talk about that kind of thing on Christmas day."

Deana could understand that but she knew that could potentially backfire on the guy in the long run. "I get that, but if you wait a day to tell her, she might think somethin' that's not necessarily true." Farkle had to admit the blue haired girl had a very good point.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about anyway. That girl is crazy about you and its not like you're the type to cheat." Added Maya with a shrug. Heck, it was his first real serious relationship so why would he want to screw that up!?

"See!? Nothing to worry about at all." Threw in Riley with a smile.

But before more could be said, Alan made an appearance as he clapped his hands together. "Right, we're all here now so who wants to open up presents!?" The family man had to admit it'd been pretty nice to have those like Frankie and Joey, Harley and his sister, and the Preemie Squad come by through out the day when they got the chance too and a part of him wouldn't have minded if they were here right now to enjoy the moment about to happen.

He received a loud chorus of 'Me's!' from the group, causing him to laugh over it. "Ha ha, I think I have my answer!" His family having opened theirs earlier on in the day was going to make this so much easier in his view.

"Can I pass out the ones I got for everybody first Mr. Matthews?"

"Hey! Why does he get the 'Mr.' and I don't!?" Asked a scandalized Cory.

Maya looked to her teacher with a smirk on her face. "Cause, you're you and he's him."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh sure it does, you're my teacher, he's not." She told him as if that explained everything as everybody else in the living room enjoyed the show between the two.

"Well that's not fair!"

"Hey, that's the rules Matthews, I didn't make 'em but I sure do help out with 'em."

Cory looked at her and he wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. Especially with that smirk of her's. "You're just messin' with me aren't ya?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out years from now." Cory harrumphed, causing for Maya to laugh at him. God how she loved messing with him!

 _This is really one of those moments where she's more then just my daughter's best friend and my student, she's more like a snarky second daughter. But I wouldn't have it any other way._

"Ah, just pass out your presents already! But remember that payback will be oh so sweet!"

Maya laughed at him again and honestly looked forward to seeing what he would try and do to get her back for the lip she gave him. She gave him a thumb's up before grabbing the presents and passed them around. Once they got theirs, each of them opened their gifts one at a time. Topanga received a light green t-shirt with the phrase 'Fierce, Amazon Warrior.' on the front of it in huge black letters. Something the mother of two but more like three where Maya was concerned gave the girl a hug in thanks and appreciation as she really loved it. Cory got blue t-shirt with the phrase 'History with Mr. Matthews, you can't say its ever boring.' in big white letters. He was honestly touched and pleased by that and happily gave her a hug. "You're a big sweetheart ya know that right?" He asked her softly, making her roll her eyes at him but smiling anyway.

"Shh, something like that would ruin my rep if it got out."

Cory chuckled and went back to his spot next to Topanga. Auggie's was a white t-shirt with a picture of Maya, himself, and Riley dressed as pirates. "Awesome! Thanks Maya!" Happily cheered the young boy as he rushed to give her a hug as well that she happily returned as she had his parents' hugs.

Riley's wasn't a shirt, but a painting with her as a beaming ray of sunshine that cast its light over many cute bunnies. The brunette squealed in happiness and hugged her best friend in thanks while making sure to be careful to not drop it. "When did you find time to make this!?"

"A few days before we came here actually." Which answered for Riley on why her best friend and sister in all but blood wasn't letting her see one of her work in progresses last week.

"I love it Maya." Said the girl sincerely and gave her best friend another hug.

Farkle received a mini-statue of the planet Mars with the inscription 'Farkle Nation' at the base of it, Lucas got a red jersey with the numbers 01 on the back and atop it the name 'Huckleberry', Alan and Amy received two navy blue t-shirts with the phrase 'Awesome Grandpa Matthews' and 'Awesome Grandma Matthews' in white lettering, Stuart and Jennifer got matching sweaters with the phrase 'I Helped Make A Genius!', Josh received a green t-shirt with the phrase 'This Uncle Boing Is Maya Hart's Property', something that spiked a bit of jealousy in Lucas momentarily til he forced it down. Katy got a pink shirt with the phrase 'Hard Workin' Momma' and Shawn received black t-shirt with the phrase 'The Last Yeah Belongs To Maya Hart'.

Gammy Hart received a red t-shirt with the phrase that said 'Death Is Scared Of Me'. Maya made an apology to the Feenies, Jack, Morgan, and Eric for not having anything for them as she wasn't quite sure what to get for them after the last shared hug by Katy, Gammy Hart, and Shawn.

Course she barely knew Jack as it is so that made a lot of sense. The Feenies told her it was understandable, as did Eric. "One question though babygirl, how did you even manage to afford all this?"

"Let's just say I know people down in the subway." That and she may have sold a painting or two and did sketch requests for folks down there when she wasn't at school, home, Topanga's, Riley's, or any of their friends' places.

"Should I be concerned about that?"

Maya shook her head negatively. "Nah! As much as I've been down there, I've become pretty cool with a lot of them." She had their backs if it was needed and they had her's when needed. Which thankfully wasn't needed all that much.

Unknown to her though, Lucas was feeling a might bit protective of his Blonde Beauty and planned to do a little hanging around down there to ensure she'd be okay. Of course he'd have to make sure she didn't catch a glimpse of him or have word reach her that he was watching her. As no doubt she'd not be happy! Several others, including Katy was thinking along the same thing too. "I think, for my own peace of mind sweetheart, I'm going to take a trip down there with you just to be safe."

Maya didn't argue with that as she got the concern her mom had over it. "Trust me mom, you're gonna love some of the people down there." Heck, she learned a few lessons about Etiquette and proper walking from Gretchen and her friend Aria for cryin' out loud!

Instead of answering, Katy chose to wrap her daughter in a hug and kissed the top of her head. Alan then asked who was next and George was the first to speak up. "Oh, well you may fire when ready." Joked Alan.

"Thank you Alan. Now I must say first of all of how happy I am to see all of you here today on Christmas. As it truly warms my heart to the fullest. I don't have gifts in the physical sense however, but this one I feel is just as good."

"You saved the Polar Bears' problem with having cold places to go?" Asked Eric curiously.

George gave him a confused look over that one. "Umm, no. I'm afraid not."

"Aww darn it!" Groused the good Senator, making for a few laughs afterwards.

The long time and former teacher hesitated as he knew what he was about to say would cause quite a few reactions to happen. "My gift to all of you, even if I don't necessarily know you quite that well just yet. Is that I love you all very much."

Silence reigned in the living room just before pandemonium broke out over the older man's words.

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 **Author's Notes: Hope the wait for this one was worth it! I probably could have cut this in half instead of making it as long as I did but I felt doing it like this was for the best with the full on thing. I also kinda figured Maya would know some of the folks in the subway pretty well at this point. Especially considering the pilot episode and all that featured Weasel, Gretchen, and her un-named friend who's real name is actually Aria. And since they pretty much retconned Shawn's sister Stacey out of the show, I decided to retcon that retcon. R and R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Disclaimer: You guys are awesome, like seriously awesome. And as usual, I own nothing but what you see here. And you're quote of the day. "No, you're the voice of Irritation." "Oh, I'm that too." My mom and me a few weeks ago.**

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Shortly after George Feeny's declaration to the entire Matthews clan and extended family, pandemonium broke out in the living room. The ladies either started crying or fainting aside from Morgan who found the whole thing funny as heck, the men acted like their heads were cut off with no clue of what to do, and Katy, Gammy Hart, Maya, Auggie, Farkle, Lucas, and Deanna were all confused as heck with the whole thing! Okay, so the ladies weren't actually fainting or crying and the men weren't exactly running about like chickens with their heads cut off. But Topanga sure had tears in her eyes over her long time teacher's surprising words as it reminded her of when Eric had tried to get him to tell them how he felt about them shortly before they left for New York.

"I KNEW IT!" Shouted Eric gleefully and made his way over to Mr. Feeny with a tight hug to the side of him and a huge watery smile on the Senator's face.

Mr. Feeny soon found himself covered in hugs by a tearful Topanga who wasn't alone in that area where Cory and Shawn were concerned as the three hugged the older man. Those in the room couldn't help but smile at the touching scene, even the more confused bunch of the group as well. "See? You really are pretty much everyone's grandfather." Spoke up Riley happily.

"Well, its a role I certainly don't mind." Admitted George as he couldn't think of a better bunch to be a grandfather or perhaps great-grandfather of then those in the living room he stood in.

"What took ya so long to even tell us that?" Asked Morgan curiously.

"Ah he was just scared is all." Spoke up Eric from his spot.

His remark however made George somewhat indignant. "I was not! I was still pretty much your teacher then and it didn't feel appropriate to say at the time!" Even if he did say the words after they left…

Lila however knew full well that wasn't the case but she wasn't about to say anything as it his place to do so. "The important thing is that we all know now." Came Topanga's slightly muffled voice and it was something everybody could agree on.

It'd take around 20 minutes before the four were able to compose themselves, along with getting pulled off Mr. Feeny as well in Eric's case since he didn't want to let go. Tommy couldn't help but ask what he thought the media would say about it and Eric countered that they would see a young man giving his grandfather a hug and nothing more. A response Tommy couldn't quite argue with as it was pretty much true. Though he knew there would be some who would try and spin it in a very wrong way. After Mr. Feeny returned to his wife's side, Shawn wound up going next for the gift giving. He gave Cory access to a free lifetime supply of rolls thanks to a friend of his through _Hit The Road_ much to the other man's immense happiness while Topanga rolled her eyes in fake exasperation.

For Topanga, he gave her a book on meditation that he picked up on his travels and she loved it a great deal. Riley and Maya both got books on photography and art with a note by him saying to create something wonderful together when possible, he gave Katy a necklace with the Kanji symbols Strength and Love on it, something that got him a big ol' kiss from the lovely mother as well. A scene that also got a bunch of cute little awws from everybody til he stuck his tongue at them playfully after the kiss ended. He gave Auggie a new first edition Mr. Googly bear that talked when you squeezed it. For Alan and Amy, they received a book of poetry filled with poems about family that he himself had written. "You guys were the best example I ever had about good families, and its because of that that I made you two that book." There was emotion heard in his voice and the two hugged him.

"Shawn, Alan and I are happy to have given you that example. And I hope we will continue to do so in the years to come."

"And I hope that you will be able to pass that example on to whoever winds up in your life son."

Looking at both of them, he gratefully smiled at them as his heart swelled up in happiness over the two he considered parents to him just as they saw him as a son. "Thank you, I really hope I'll be able to do that."

"I think you'll do us proud Shawn." Alan told him with a strong grip on his shoulder and a wide smile on his face.

Shawn certainly hoped so and wondered if he would be doing something like that with Katy and Maya, even though she likely already had a pretty great example of a really good family thanks to Cory and Topanga. A few minutes later would see him giving matching tweed jackets to Mr. Feeny and Lila and the jackets looked exactly like the one Mr. Feeny always seemed to wear over the years he taught them. Lila had gotten a chuckle out of that as she herself had always been rather fond of it. Shawn then gave each of them a hug. For Jack, he got him a Mick Foley documentary while Eric received a detailed how to dvd on how NOT to get beaten up by girls while trying to defend yourself against them. Something the two rolled their eyes over while Topanga laughed over it as she remembered that particular day pretty well.

Afterwards, he looked at Gammy Hart, Josh, the Minkus clan, the Friars, Jessica, Deanna, and Tommy with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry guys, I really wasn't sure what to get any of you." They were quick to tell him not to worry too much about it as it was understandable. Though Josh told him what he did at the hospital with the others prior to coming in and seeing him was the only gift he needed.

Something he appreciated hearing. "Alright, I've got one more gift. Its more of a gift for everybody and something of an announcement."

"You've decided to finally become a plumber?" Stuart's question got him a slap to the arm by Jennifer but Shawn knew he wasn't being serious.

"Sorry to disappoint Mr. Suck Up, but no." Stuart snapped his fingers in fake disappointment, causing for laughter to happen.

Shawn took a deep breath before continuing with what he was about to say. "Alright… So you all know I pretty much travel all around these days and even found Katy and Maya in the process thanks to certain meddlers. Yeah, none of you fooled me for a second but its okay as it has been worth it."

After all, he was one half of the King of Schemes and he could smell a scheme from a mile away. "Hey, it was all Riley buddy! I retired but she pulled me right back in!"

"Oh you loved it daddy and you know it!"

Cory shrugged, as she had him there! "Yeah, yeah I did." Admitted the man with a smile while Shawn shook his head in amusement.

"Anyways… Moving on before you two get all huggy and sugary. I have finally decided to stop traveling all over the place and settle down." He was interrupted when Cory himself let out a loud yay in response to that bit of happy news.

Chuckling, Shawn continued on and he couldn't help but notice his two girls were leaning in their seats in anticipation of what he was about to say next. "The guys at _Hit The Road_ weren't exactly happy but they understood the reasons behind it and helped me get a local writing/photography gig in New York."

"OH YAY!" Cheered Cory happily who was practically hopping up and down in sheer joy and Maya promised to use that against him at some point in the future. Though she couldn't deny she was happy as can be about Hunter's words as it meant she and her mother would be able to see him more now!

Katy herself was hardly believing what she was hearing but she couldn't deny the surge of happiness that practically wanted to burst out of her heart. "And last but not least, a certain apartment above Cory and his family's is now taken by me and Little Cory."

"You still have that pig!?" Asked Jack in shock.

Shawn looked to him in amusement but in the corner of his eye he could see Katy practically shaking. "Well yeah man of course I do. That little guy has got years in him yet."

Riley thought it was weird her uncle has a pig named after her dad, but then again those two were a level of weird only they could achieve. Topanga turned her attention to her husband as she was curious about why he hadn't said anything yet. And considering the shocked state he was in told her why that was. "Aren't you gonna say 'yay' again honey?" Which wow, okay! Talk about deja vu there!

Cory tried to say something but all that got out was a squeak and a little movement of his arms. "YES!" Screamed out Katy in sheer excitement as she jumped out of her seat, hugged the life out of her man, and then kissed him soundly!

Something he was all too happy to return! Maya herself was brimming with excitement and Lucas had a soft smile in the girl's direction as he knew the Blonde Beauty was happier then can be at this particular point in time. Riley leaned over with a smile of her own. "Let loose Peaches!"

"YYYYAAAAAAYYY!" Shouted the girl in pure happiness, which broke her mom and Shawn out of the very enjoyable and soul searing kiss and motioned for her to join them. Something she happily did without hesitation.

 _I told her she was going to get everything she ever wanted in life!_

And what do ya know? She was being proven right! After the hug ended, the three stayed closely together as neither wanted to be a part from the other while further presents were given out. Thankfully for Stuart, when he told Amy and Alan that he and his wife paid off the medical bill they were no doubt going to get for Josh's time in the hospital, the reactions had been a lot better then hoped for. His explanation for their being so willing to welcome him into their home back when he was younger had been a primary motivation for him and he wanted to return the kindness they gave him. The two elder Matthews' wound up even giving him a hug and pretty much said that he and his family were part of their family now. More so now then what they already were as it is due to Farkle and Riley's friendship. The Minkus clan greatly appreciated that and were proud to be part of such a fantastic and welcoming family.

Shortly after the presents were all given out, dinner preparations began and Josh went up to his room to rest a little after all the excitement. It'd be around thirty minutes later when Cory finally broke out of his state of shock and hugged the ever loving crap out of his best friend much to everybody else's amusement and laughter. This Christmas in everyone's view was pretty much the best darn one ever and they all couldn't wait to see what happened next. The Christmas dinner they all had that night was also a particularly fantastic one as well with quite a few pictures taken at various points to capture all the great moments during the dinner and afterwards.

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 **Author's Notes: I wasn't planning on updating so soon, but I had the day off yesterday and I stay up all night so I tend to have a lot of free time on my hands. Hope you all enjoyed this one! As well as a few certain nods to the BMW days! Coming up next will be the final chapter for this story and with it, a pretty big moment will happen! Also, for those of you who use Facebook, feel free to add me on there but message me first so I know who you are! I go by Rob Wrecks there as well. R and R!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Disclaimer: Here it is folks, the final chapter! Oh yeah, I also own nothing but what you see here. Now, let's roll on for a big moment or two! And your quote of the day: "Scott Summers sucks!" L1701E's Kid Razor at some point.**

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 **Sunday, December 27th 2015 3:33 PM at the Matthews' Home in Philly**

Christmas Day on Friday had been a most memorable occasion for everyone at the Matthews' home for many a reason. Such as Mr. Feeny's 'I love you' declaration and Shawn Hunter's news about finally settling somewhere and that being in New York for example. After the evening's good times quieted down, Farkle made a call to Isadora and told her what happened and thankfully she didn't get upset over it as she knew it wasn't his fault. Though she did promise swift retribution on the girl if she ever tried anything again with HER hunk. Which Farkle doubted he'd ever cross her path again since the girl lived in Philly while he lived in New York. Saturday would see Alan witnessing his grandson Auggie's phone call with a girl named Ava, an event that would actually have him asking Topanga if his grandson and this girl was about to be another Cory and Topanga.

The mother, wife, and lawyer had told him she was torn between hoping that didn't happen and hoping it might actually would. Since it would be their story entirely and no one else's. Alan merely told her that he looked forward to seeing how that went for the two kids. An argument between Riley and Farkle would also occur that day about her actual feelings towards Lucas in the girls' bedroom and not bothering to close the door fully since they didn't think anyone would show up while they talked. In the end, Riley told him that if he really cared about and respected her like he claims too, he wouldn't say a single word as it wasn't his place to do so but her's. She also told him in no uncertain terms that if he did utter a single word their friendship would be as good as over if he couldn't respect her wishes.

The thought of that honestly terrified Farkle Minkus more then he cared to admit and conceded to her requests. That and what she mentioned about not being his place to do also made him realize just how true that was. Farkle however honestly did think his best friend didn't know what he really wanted when it came to the girls even if Riley disagreed with the notion since the girl could tell how adamant he was being in regards to wanting friendship with her only. A tiny part of her did have a smidgen of hope however that her genius friend was somehow right however. The rest of Saturday passed onwards without a great deal happening other then getting to visit the Youth Center Frankie and Joey ran.

Seeing Janitor Harley's sister Theresa in action with the kids there also wound up giving one particular person a notion they would consider more about later on in the future. A little forecast watching also told the New York bunch that Sunday would likely be the best time to head on back home before things got nasty out on the road even more. Which brings us to Sunday and more than one person was sad about having to leave as well. Maya had decided she wanted a talk with Josh before they left since the girl wasn't exactly sure when she would see him again in the Big Apple. Knocking on Uncle Boing's door, she didn't have long to wait for him to yell out an invitation. Smiling, she went inside the nicely warm room and quickly saw that he was laid out on his bed while reading a book.

"Hey there Uncle Boing." Called out the girl as she sat down next to him on his bed.

Carefully marking his place, Josh put the book down and gave a certain Gorgeous Ferret his undivided attention. "Hey there yourself, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Asked the teenager in a slight raspy voice that was slowly getting better thanks to his medications.

Maya shrugged and twirled a loose strand of her hair. "Oh, you know, had to come see my future husband before I went back home."

Josh chuckled over that while honestly hating the differences in their ages to an extent as she was just one heck of a girl. "A good reason as any other." Heck, he would have been surprised if she hadn't of come to visit him before leaving!

"That it is, that it is. You know what occurred to me recently though?" Her question had Josh curious on that.

"No, what?"

"Oh, like the fact you didn't get me a ring and profess your undying love for me on Christmas. Or even kiss me for that matter. Which really makes a girl like me wonder if her man has any serious intentions for her."

He went wide eyed over all that as she quirked an eyebrow at him. "In my defense, I was sick! And come on, me kissing you while I'm sick? Seriously not a good idea Ferret."

"But til death do us part and all that right? In sickness and in health?" Seriously now, get with the program Joshy boy!

"I uhh… Well you know… Lack of money to afford that… And wait, why am I even talkin' about that!?" He asked incredulously as he realized what he was doing and making Maya burst into a fit of laughter.

Laughter he honestly liked hearing if he was being honest with himself. _Whoa now, falling for her is not what you want to do._ Even if a part of him did think it would be nice.

Once her laughter ended, she looked at him seriously and Josh couldn't help but wonder what the girl was thinking while looking so serious. "What's on that mind of yours Art Girl?"

As seriously, that nickname fit her after she had given him that sketch she made while he was in the hospital. Said sketch now proudly having a spot on his wall. Maya couldn't help but smile softly over that name even as it sent a small thrill through her that he had come up with something like that just for her. _He seriously makes me so sappy._

A fact that would have to be well hidden so as not to damage her reputation! Then again, where Josh was concerned that might not be such a bad thing. "You being in the hospital scared me. A lot. I honestly haven't been that scared since I was a little girl, only this felt a lot worse. Like… I might never see you again kind of worse."

To say he was surprised by the girl's words was an understatement. Heck he honestly had just thought she had an over the top crush on him but hearing what had just been said was starting to make him think otherwise now. Josh didn't say a word as he moved to sit next to her and wrap an arm around her. A move Maya greatly appreciated as she was starting to feel a little emotional and even leaned into him. "That didn't happen okay? It was thanks to you that I was taken to the hospital in time. Which by the way? That kinda makes you my hero ya know?"

Maya looked up at him in surprise over that one. Never did she ever think anyone would consider her their personal hero and yet her crush did and it was just huge for her. "I never thought someone would say that to me of all people." She told him shakily.

The fact she seemed to honestly believe that bothered Josh and he'd have to have a talk with his niece and her friends about that in regards to the girl next to him. "Well now someone has and I'm gonna think about you like that for a long time to come."

The sincerity in his words made her believe him too. A little idea then popped into her head and it made her start to grin at him, an action that had him wondering what was up. "So… Since I'm your hero and all, doesn't that mean as the hero I get a kiss now?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves now! I know I said I would start trying to look at ya differently, but I still have a thing about the age difference." He got a shake of the head and an eye roll from the girl in return.

"Oh please, what's 3 or 4 years when it comes to you and me? I honestly doubt anyone we know would even care since its not like you would hurt me on purpose or anything like that."

"I think that Lucas kid you're friends with would care actually."

A sigh escaped Maya as she knew he had a point there. "He might, but things with him is… Well... Kind of complicated and I don't want complicated. Complicated is confusing and potentially hurtful for not only me in the whole thing."

"Then uncomplicate it as its only as complicated as you allow it to be. Besides, do ya really want to be with me just cause its easier for you? I doubt that would turn out well for either of us and some things worth the complications if its what you really want."

The Blonde Beauty had to admit he had a darn good point but a part of her wanted something that would be easy. But if that happened, she would no doubt be denying herself something that could be great. But until Riley got herself straightened out where the Cowboy is concerned, there wasn't really anything she could do. Unless of course she went and dated other guys but other then Lucas and Josh, there really wasn't any other guy who interested her and Farkle was more like a little brother to her then a romantic interest. And Zay was just too hung up on that Vanessa girl and dating him would probably cause issues between him and Lucas and that's the last thing she wanted to wind up doing. Occasional bout of trouble she liked to cause but that's one bit of trouble she didn't want anything to do with.

Her silence gave Josh the impression he had definitely gotten her to thinking about what he'd said. Which to him was a really good thing in his view as he didn't want her to make a mistake she might regret. Even though a part of life was making mistakes and learning from them but this was one he wouldn't mind helping prevent from happening if at all possible. Yeah, he liked her, heck it was hard not to as she is a pretty great person to know despite how she acts towards him. But actual feelings that went beyond friendship? They didn't seem to be there in his view. Though whether or not he was denying that was another thing entirely.

"And I'm not gonna lie to ya, I like ya, but actual feelings beyond friendship? I'm sorry but they aren't there and it would be nice if they were cause you deserve a good guy to treat ya right like you deserve."

It hurt to hear him say how he felt, but Maya was glad he was at least being honest about how he felt. Heck, it was more then what she'd heard from Lucas at any rate aside from that almost kiss and the physical contact being any sort of indicator about his feelings. "Thanks for bein' honest with me Uncle Boing. It hurts a little but its better then being lead on or kept in the dark."

Josh nodded. "Honesty is the best policy and lying or keeping quiet where you're concerned wouldn't be all that right." Jeez, he's gonna make some girl very happy one day with the way he is.

Maya stood up and took a few steps before turning back to him. "Guess I'll see ya around Uncle Boing."

"Once I'm all rested up and get the chance to be out that way, you definitely will." He promised her with a smile.

Giving a smile of her own, she looked back towards the doorway and took another step. _You know… They say you only live once._ Thought the artist before impulsively turning back and walking back to Josh.

Something that surprised the older teenager since he thought she was leaving. What happened next surprisd him even more as she laid one heck of a kiss on him! A kiss he unexpectedly found himself returning. Unknown to the two as they started to get into the kiss, one Lucas Friar saw the whole thing happen. The sight was enough to make him feel angry, hurt, and crushed all at once and he left without a single word and didn't stop til he was out of the house. The former Texan would have kept going too if it wasn't for Deanna Feeny stopping him with a single 'Hey' as she'd been leaning up against the wall next to the doorway.

"Oh, hey Kentucky." His greeting wasn't as enthusiastic as it could have been considering what he'd just seen but he didn't think he could be blamed for that.

And it was something Deanna picked up on too pretty quickly. Stepping away from the wall and towards him, she cocked her to the side with a look of concern on her face. "You okay Tex? Cause ya look like ya lost your puppy."

A chuckle escaped from him but he didn't smile. "Its… Nothin'. Just a realization is all."

Somehow, the blue haired wonder doubted that but had the feeling he didn't want to be pushed on the matter. "Oh? Those are always fun to have." Lord knows it helped her mom where her dad was concerned when it came to his ways...

"Heh, tell me about it. But thanks for the concern."

"Anytime, after all you're good people. Not to mention a darn good kisser." Added the girl with a smile and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Something that honestly made him blush despite his feelings over that kiss between Maya and Riley's uncle! "Aww, so cute when you blush! And just so ya know? I'm glad I caught you before you left as I wanted to give you my number since we seemed to connect pretty nicely." And it'd be kind of a shame in her opinion of that connection was ignored, even if they never actually got together but the phone calls and maybe the occasional trip his way would be nice.

"Ah'd reckon we did connect quite well Kentucky." Replied Lucas while using a little of that Southern twang playfully.

He took the slip of paper from her and stuffed it into his pocket for safe keeping. "Maybe with that number of mine we can keep on doin' that." Said the girl as she stepped up to him and liking the fact he didn't step away.

Though a certain Riley Matthews was watching the whole thing and looking quite put out. Farkle, who was nearby groaned internally as he knew this might get ugly. _This might be the 'Boop' incident all over again!_ And man had that been awfully embarrassing for not only himself, but Riley as well!

"Ah'd be open to that idea." Lucas softly told her and the two met in a kiss and the former Texan native pushed away the stab of guilt he had over it in relation to Maya.

 _Its obvious where her heart lies, so why should I feel guilty?_

The kiss sent Riley's jealousy into overdrive and she marched towards them while the adults and Auggie watched it all with curiousity written all over their faces. Just as she got to them, the two parted with little smiles on their faces. "Hey! Just what do you think you're doing kissing him!? Do you not remember our talk the other day!?" She knows she sure does! Even if she is trying to repress the memory of what else happened during that talk…

Deanna, instead of being annoyed was more amused then anything else. Lucas on the other hand was of the annoyed kind. "Riley! I don't think what Kentucky and I just did is really any of your business." Admonished the teenager as hello! He still remembers what she'd told him in Texas even though he had later shut down the whole brother/sister thing between them.

Well, Auggie did and he pretty much finished it. Riley looked at him in shock over that one. "Of course its my business! Especially if it has to do with my best friend!"

Lucas sighed in slight annoyance. "Look, Maya is a big girl and can handle herself just fine okay? She doesn't need you to look after her."

The brunette would have protested very strongly at that but Deanna chose to cut in next. "Tex is right Bambi. And I don't just mean about Blondie either." A grin then appeared on her face and if Riley wasn't so worked up she probably would have felt a little nervous about it.

"Besides, are you really sure its about her you're worried about? Are you jealous its him I'm kissin' and not you?"

Ol' Huckleberry looked at the blue haired wonder in slight confusion over what she was even talking about. "What!? No! I'm not, I'm not jealous at all! Why would I be? I like boys, not girls!"

"Hey, its okay if you aren't sure about that kind of thing. I mean you're young and still learnin' about yourself so its okay to be confused about certain things. Heck, you probably haven't even had your first kiss yet!" Soothed Deanna as she placed a hand on Riley's shoulder in consolation.

Riley gaped at the girl as Lucas continued to look on in confusion over the whole thing as even looking towards the adults didn't seem to help much! "Yes I have! Lucas was my first kiss! Because I kissed him first!" Exclaimed the brunette unhappily.

Deanna was certainly impressed by that! "Wow, go you with the girl power there!"

She raised her fist up for a fist bump but the other girl clearly had no intention of returning it. She aimed it at Tex but he backed away after getting a glare from Riley. "Sorry Kentucky, but I have no desire to get her anymore worked up then what she already is."

"But I bet its cute to see though! I mean its obvious she's already pretty cute as is." She then gave a wink to Riley who was gaping once again over the action as she just wasn't sure at all if the girl was being serious or not with what she was doing.

Deciding to stir the pot up even more as the former Kentucky native knew the brunette clearly has feelings for her favorite Tex even though she was fighting against her and Tex in supposed honor of Blondie. And sure, it might be true but that girl could clearly fight her own battles and most likely would speak up if she had any issue with her trying something with the guy near her. Not that there hadn't been an opportunity or two for the girl to do so but never did due to a few various reasons. "Hmm… Bambi, I bet you are a great kisser. What would you say Tex?"

"Well I can safely say it was unexpected."

He got a glare for that and backed up with his hands raised up in a defensive gesture. "But it was nice!" Placated the young man.

"Nice! Nice!? Is that all you can say!? Unexpected but nice!?" Ohh she was not happy!

Shawn could be heard muttering to Katy that the boy had done it now and she couldn't help but agree with that. Cory was getting ready to intervene and was about to wish he had too a lot sooner! "I'll show you nice Lucas! And it'll be WAY better then her kiss!"

Riley marched over to Lucas, grabbed his head, and laid one heck of a kiss on him! Something that took both Shawn and Stuart to keep Cory from coming after Lucas even though he wasn't the one to start the kissing! Farkle facepalmed himself as his fear of another 'Boop' incident had been realized. Deanna was honestly surprised the girl had done what she did! _Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I done fired her all up!_

Seconds later the kiss ended and Riley looked towards Deanna with an expression that was awfully cute on the girl in the blue haired wonder's opinion. Deanna couldn't help but whistle in apprecation. "Good Lawd Bambi! Done took my breath away with that!" She knew she was likely laying it on a bit thick but she couldn't help it!

Lucas couldn't even say a single thing as he was just too stunned by the action! Something Deanna noticed too after taking a look at him. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's breath ya took darlin'! Lawd knows I probably could learn a thing or two from ya and I know I'm always willin' to learn right quick if the teacher looks all cute like you do."

She gave a little wink to Riley who definitely wasn't too happy with that! "I'm sorry, but I won't be teaching you anything!" Gosh, this girl was freaking her out!

The blue haired wonder was about to say something to do that when Maya herself made herself known at that point in time. "What are we not teaching exactly? Cause school's not back in just yet ya know."

"Not sure I'd agree with ya there Blondie." Spoke up Deanna with a small smirk, though she couldn't help but wonder what had the girl all flustered like.

Maya wondered what she meant by that but then the sight of ol' Ranger Rick himself caught her interest instead. "Hey Sundance, you okay over there?"

The teenager blinked a few times before shaking his head and looking at the three girls in front of him on at a time. The sight of Maya brought back his funk from moments ago, the sight of Riley was all sorts of confusion thanks to that gosh darned kiss, and the pleased look Deanna had just didn't help with the confusion any. He started to try and say something but nothing would come out, which honestly made Maya a bit concerned about her favorite Huckleberry. Finally, one thing did come out though. "Gah!" And with that, he rushed off and quickly got inside his momma's car, stuffed some ear buds into his ears, and started to play some music from the selection he had on his phone.

 _Why are girls so darn confusin'!?_ Thought the young man who was about as lost as a fisherman at sea with no lighthouse to guide him home and no stars to use either.

Deanna was mildly concerned over that and hoped he would be okay after all that had happened. Turning to the two girls still with her, she spoke up in a cheerful voice. "Well! I reckon I'll see y'all again in the future if its a willin' to happen. Hope ya stay real cute like Bambi." And with a wink towards Riley who honestly at that point wanted to stay away from the girl and her intentions towards her, Deanna made her exit back over to her uncle's place.

Though Maya was honestly confused by the whole thing. _Was Blue flirting with Riley!?_ An action that clearly her best friend wasn't responding towards all that well it seemed if that was actually the case.

Shrugging it off, the artist figured it was nothing to really worry about. Placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder and getting an odd reaction from Riley over it til she realized who was touching her. Maya smiled at her to show it was okay. "Come on Honey, let's go home."

And that was a notion Riley could happily get behind! _I think… I think that girl like likes me!_ Never did she ever think something like that would happen to her!

But to home they went, and Riley would have to listen to her dad rant a little over the lengths boys would go too to get a kiss from a girl. Something that would have both her and her mom rolling their eyes over. Other then the thing with Deanna and uncle Josh's trip to the hospital, this truly was a Christmas to remember in the Pretty Brunette's mind and she couldn't wait to see what happened next!

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 **Author's Notes: Here it is my good peoples! I certainly hope this was worth the wait! Thanks a ton to all of you for the reviews, favorites, and follows as it has meant a lot to me! Now there will be more to come, so no worries there. And it might be next week when you guys get to see it as I'm gonna try and have a few chapters wrote out before uploading them for y'alls reading pleasure.**

 **The next story will be a lot longer and I can certainly promise that the next story is gonna be a bit on the explosive side** **after certain events from this fic come to light** **!** **And that's only the start to what I have in mind for Riley and the gang.** **So see you all soon in what I like to call 'Grabbing Life By The Horns.' R and R and thanks once again for all the great support!**


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